Beginnings
by Labrynth
Summary: She's on the floor dying and he must make a decision (Part 1 of the Otherverse)


Disclaimer: Not my people, just my game. Hasn't everyone done one of these? I typically avoid doing a story that has been done before. Even if it's an idea that I've thought about before seeing a similar story. I just don't like doing stuff someone else had done. But this kinda got stuck in my head and didn't seem to be going anywhere. So, here's hoping it's at least vaguely original. 

For Melinda Metz consider this my revenge *g* And Lint my nearly suffering, almost beta reader *g*

Part one of the Otherverse series.

*******  
Beginnings

_Why_ had her parents decided she needed a job? Oh yeah. The dent she put in the car, that's why. She groaned inwardly, cursing the day she ever thought she could fit into that parking spot at the mall. Because of that parking spot, she was stuck here, at the Crashdown, waiting tables. Oh this just sucked. Sucked beyond belief.

Ok, it didn't all suck, not entirely. It did give her a chance to be seen, granted not fashion plate clothing, but she was still seen. Being seen was very important. Especially this close to the dance. It's not like she'd ever be hurting for a date, but she liked to have all the options possible. And then he came sometimes. Ok, more than sometimes. And according to her friend Maria, he had been busy looking at her. That made her smile at least. Which was more than she thought she'd be able to do thanks to all the damn customers. She wasn't sure why there were so many this evening, but it was busier than usual. Some kind of tourist convention judging by the number of hawaiian shirts around. Didn't these people know this was New Mexico, not Hawaii? And then there were the two at Maria's table who were beyond rude. While she felt sorry for her friend, she was glad they hadn't sat down on her side of the Café. Chances were she'd have lost her job the second time they were snide to her.

The sound of Maria screaming her name jerked her from her thoughts. Sugar spilled onto the counter as she jumped, the fear in her friend's voice reaching inside of her. Maria's face was terrified as she turned and looked across the room. Before she could say anything, she heard it. The sound echoed in the suddenly silent room. Time stood still for what seemed like years and she wondered if she had imagined the sound. If she had imagined the whole thing. Fire ripped through her. The cold tile floor reached up to meet her as she collapsed. With a mind of their own, her hands searched her side. Coming away wet, slick with her own blood, she looked at them as the tendrils of black began to cloud her vision. Snakes of darkness slithered across the backs of her eyes. A soft whimper of pain issued from her throat and she wondered if she would ever see her parents again. Or Maria. Or him. The world grew darker until there was only a pinpoint of light, of vision, left. 

Suddenly he was there, filling up that small hole. She heard someone familiar behind him, yelling something about leaving. _Please, you can't leave me here_, she thought frantically, _I don't want to die alone_. The jingling of keys rang out, the sound was impatient, then she felt her uniform being pulled apart. Her vision cleared suddenly and she immediately wished it hadn't. The look of horror and loss that was written on his face was enough for her to know. She was going to die. Right here on the floor of the Crashdown. Death was reaching for her.

He touched her, placing his hand over her gushing wound and pressing down. The fire spread at his touch, ripping through her like liquid lava. It was like she could feel her tissues melting, dying as the blood spilled from them. She was floating then, the fire like a distant memory or thought. Her name trickled into her mind. Someone was saying her name. She struggled to open her eyes at the sound of his voice, but it was just so hard.

"You have to look at me. Come on come on"

No sooner did she manage to open her eyes and she could feel it. Feel him. He was inside of her. It was like cool water spreading through her, putting out the flames that were still burning inside of her. She could feel her body change, shifting as the bullet hole was mended. The molecules being pushed around as they sealed tissues and vessels.

Her head was spinning. She struggled to rise, pushing up to her elbows. He moved away from her and she almost called out his name. Might have if she thought she would have been able to speak. And then he was there again. The sticky feeling of the ketchup against her skin confused her even more.

"When you fell, you spilled ketchup on yourself. OK? Can you remember that? You spilled it on yourself as you fell." His voice was desperate. "Will you tell them that?" A glance over his shoulder at the door. "I'll explain everything later. Please, you have to do this."

She managed to nod slightly and he began to back away from her slowly. Pulling her uniform closed in front of her, she clutched it tightly as her mind tried to make sense of it all.

Maria was by her side then, shrieking like a banshee. "Isabel! Oh my God, Isabel are you ok? What did he do to you?" She shook her friend, forcing Isabel to look at her. "What did Alex do to you?"

*******

Isabel stood in front of the mirror, her hands pressed against her stomach. The silver handprint seemed to glow against her skin and she wondered if it would shine if she turned off all the lights. Her eyes swept up, taking note of the simple cotton bra and panties. If she'd known Alex was going to see them, she would have taken the time to wear something better. Maybe something she picked up from Victoria's Secret last weekend. A laugh welled up inside of her at that thought, but when it escaped her lips it was a sob. Pressing her hand tightly against her mouth, she felt her head begin to spin again.

Alex had saved her life. He had healed her as she lay there dying. Then he had asked her to lie for him. Why? What had made him save her? What was so special about her?

Turning away from the mirror, she grabbed a pair of jeans. She had to know. She needed to know. Alex had to tell her. Tell her the truth.

***

The knock on the door startled them, causing both to look at each other warily. _Who was that and why were they here?_ Alex rose from his chair slowly. At this point he wasn't sure he could take much more. He hadn't planned on saving her, on blowing their cover like this, but he couldn't just walk out and let her die either. If he had stood there, watching as the blood left her body, as her aura had gone black, he'd never forgive himself. The government would have had to come get him because he would already be dead.

Pushing aside the curtain, he looked outside, then let the cloth fall back into place. "It's Isabel," he told the other one as he moved to the door.

"What are you going to tell her?" Michael asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Alex answered. The look on his friend's face told him he had a choice, but that it had been taken away from him as soon as he touched her. Hell, it had been taken away the first time he had laid eyes on her. Alex couldn't argue with that, but he also wouldn't take it back if he could. He reached for the door and carefully opened it.

"I have to know Alex," Isabel blurted as soon as she saw his face. "What happened to me?"

He took a deep breath then nodded. "Come on, I'll explain everything." He stepped aside and allowed her to enter. Casting a glare in Michael's direction, he dared the other boy to say anything. "Michael was just leaving," he told her as they walked past. "He needs to go find a mutual friend."

Michael glared back, knowing he had to go find her. She'd come unglued as soon as she found out what happened, but they had to tell her. All three of them were in danger now thanks to Alex's impulsiveness. Without a word, he rose and went out the door. He'd finish chewing Alex out later. Then again, he didn't think he's have to. After Isabel found out Well, nothing he could say or do would be able to make Alex feel worse.

Alex lead her to his room, glancing nervously around to see what awful thing might be laying around to completely embarrass him. There were a million times he had thought about Isabel being in his room, but each scenario he had come up with had never involved this.

"So" he started, unsure of what to say really. What did you say to the girl you were madly in love with who had nearly died under your hands? And then you asked her to lie for you. Can't forget that part.

"Yeah." Isabel looked up at him, her arms hugging her body tightly. She took a deep breath, started to speak, stopped, then tried again. "What did you do to me Alex?"

He looked away, unable to take the confusion and fear in her face. Her normally purple aura was a dark indigo. It churned violently around her, splotches of white showing her fear. Alex began to pace, not even sure where to begin. He had thought about telling her a million times. Ok, Isabel Evans probably wasn't the person who could be trusted with this kind of secret, but still After a few circuits around the room, he stopped where he started and looked at her.

"There's not really any way to say this Isabel. I mean, I've thought about it thousands of times, but, I don't know, now it just sounds ridiculous." He laughed, the sound hollow and scared.

Even though her own fear and confusion filled her, she could easily feel his surrounding her. Whatever it was he had to say, it was big. Bigger than anything she had ever imagined. But it also seemed to be something that scared him. That caused him to fear something.

"Just tell me," she whispered finally. Nothing could be that bad. She sank to the edge of the bed and waited.

Alex nodded slowly, then sank down to his knees in front of her. He had the urge to sit next to her on the bed, but didn't feel like it was something he should do. In a few minutes, she would probably run screaming from the room anyway.

"My parents gave me the ability to heal people," he started carefully. "I don't remember anything about them. Don't remember what they were like" Green eyes searched brown. "But I know they weren't human."

Isabel blinked as she looked down at him. Not human? Huh? "Alex? I'm not sure what you're trying to say here"

He tried to smile, but it was tight and he couldn't force it any more. "I'm not human Isabel. I'm not from here."

Another blink. "Ok, then where are you from?"

Alex pointed up. 

"Canada? You're a Canuck?" She frowned slightly. This didn't make sense.

He sighed then swallowed hard. Only one way to do this. "I'm an alien Isabel."

Her frown slowly dissolved and she smiled at him. "I don't believe in aliens Alex. That's ridiculous."

It was his turn to blink. She didn't believe in aliens? Ok, that was something he hadn't been prepared for. Didn't everyone in Roswell believe in aliens? Wasn't it a law or something?

"Ok," he started as he rose, mind racing for a way to prove it, "Ok. Uh" Frantically he searched his room for something. Anything that would make her believe him. His eyes locked onto the small alien figure. Snatching it from its spot on his desk, he turned to her, holding it out in his hand.

"You know what this is?" he asked.

Isabel shrugged. "Sure, it's one of those little alien figures Maria's mom sells."

Alex nodded, then held it out to her. "Here, take. Hold it in the palm of your hand."

She took the figurine, holding her hand completely flat, balancing it in the center. Eyeing him warily, she finally asked, "What are you going to do exactly?"

"I healed you I healed the hole in you. I dissolved the bullet that was inside of you." His eyes met hers. "It's hard to describe, but it's like I can force the molecules to move. I can push them apart, like I did to get rid of the bullet. Or I can shove them together like I did to mend the hole." He reached out and touched the alien figure. "But you don't always have to make the molecules move that much"

The green head began to melt. Paint from the outside slid down the body and pooled in her hand. The shiny metal of the head followed, filling her hand until it overflowed. Liquid metal dripped from her hand and pooled on the floor at her feet as the doll continued to melt in her hand. Swirls of color ringed the metal as the paint melted as well.

Alex continued to touch it until there was only paint in her hand. Until the finger that had touched the figurine was touching the palm of her hand. She jumped, jerking her hand back. Shaking the paint off of it, she looked up at him again. A new awareness shone in her eyes as she rose slowly.

"I don't believe in aliens Alex." Isabel moved for the door.

He laid a finger on top of the puddle of metal and paint. Carefully he drew the finger upwards, metal and paint reforming as he went. After a few seconds, he took his hand from it completely. The alien now stood fully formed on the floor. This time it held a guitar in its hands.

"I need to go now." She reached for the door, her eyes locked onto the alien on the floor.

Alex rushed to her. Ignoring the flash of pain that ran through him when she jumped away from him, he begged, "You can't tell anyone Isabel. My life is in your hands now. If they find out about me, they'll kill me."

Isabel nodded once, slowly, then backed out the door and fled the house.

*******

  
She sat in the car, trembling so badly she dropped the keys to the floorboard when she pulled them out of the ignition. A look at the driveway told her that her parents weren't home yet. Chances were they hadn't even heard what had happened to her yet. But her brother was home. She could see the light on in his room.

He would want to know what had happened. He'd demand an explanation. At this point she wasn't sure what she would, or could, tell him. They had always shared a tight bond. Had always been extremely close. They read each other like books. Maybe it was the fact that they were fraternal twins that caused this bond, neither of them knew for sure. But if she walked into the house shaking like she was, he wouldn't need to rely on that bond to know something was up.

Taking a deep breath, she counted to ten. When that didn't work, she tried it again. Feeling a little calmer, she swung the door of the car open and stepped out. Bending, she scooped up the keys, then stepped back and closed the door carefully. With deliberate steps, she followed the driveway to the sidewalk and the sidewalk to the front door. Her hand trembled when she tried to put the key in the lock. Finally on the third try she got it in. Turning it slowly, she felt the lock give then pulled the key back out, nearly dropping them all in the process.

Isabel paused, resting her head against the wooden door. Her life had just been turned upside down. More than anything she wanted to crawl into bed and cry, but instead she now had to go inside and somehow convince her brother she was fine. That she wasn't hiding anything from him. She wasn't so sure she could do that. Her instinct was to spill her guts, to tell him everything from start to finish. If she could trust anyone with what Alex had told her, it would be him. More than likely he'd think she'd gone off the deep end, that the bullet had lodged itself in her brain somewhere, but he'd never say a word about it to anyone.

Her mind raced with everything she had seen, everything he had said. Alex was an alien. Little green man with antennae. The picture just didn't fit. Alex the guy who was always making jokes. The guy who went out of his way to do something nice. The guy that everyone saw, but never thought too much about Ok, she had thought about him more than once. It had to do with the way he always looked at her. Like he wanted to know what went on inside of her. All the other guys just looked at her like they wanted to jump her bones.

Tracing a finger along the grain in the wooden door, she sighed. It was time to admit she was stalling. With a deep breath she twisted the knob and shoved it open. Dropping her keys to the table beside the door, she made a beeline for her room, hoping she could make it there before he realized she was home.

No such luck. She cursed under her breath as she heard him say her name. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly then stepped in front of his door.

"I'm home," she said, careful not to look directly at him. 

"So I see," he replied, looking her over carefully. "You look pretty good for someone who was shot today."

Isabel hoped the color hadn't drained from her face. "Oh, that. Exaggeration." A forced smile she hoped looked real enough. "Maria saw the ketchup and freaked. Kept telling everyone it was blood. You know how she is."

"Yeah," he smirked. "She's a bit off."

Isabel glared at him. She loved her brother to death. He had always been there for her, completely understood her. But there were times when she understood why so many people thought he was an asshole. Trying to remind herself that his cocky, sarcastic attitude was just an act, she shook her head at him.

"She'd still date you in a heartbeat. Which I'll never understand."

"She knows where it's good." A grin. "Don't think you're off the hook Is. I still expect you to tell me what happened."

Stepping into his room a few feet she shrugged and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Nothing. I mean, Maria and I were just waiting tables. And these two guys were there. They'd been there most of the afternoon. They were grumpy, seemed to be arguing, but it didn't seem like anything big. Then all of a sudden there was a shot." The words were coming fast and she tried to make them slow down. If they got too far ahead of her, she might spill it right there. "I was daydreaming I guess. I didn't even see either of them stand up." Reeling in her thoughts, she tried to come up with something he'd believe. Tried to make it sound reasonable. "It scared the hell out of me." A blush. "I guess I should have been paying better attention. I was filling the sugar containers on the bar. I jumped, slipped on the floor that we had just mopped and knocked one of the ketchup bottles I had lined up off the counter. I got it all over me." Another shrug. "Maria started screaming about blood then. I must have hit my head when I fell because I could hear her, but it was like I couldn't think straight. Couldn't get the words out that I was ok. Next thing I know, someone's screaming to call an ambulance." With all her will, she prayed he'd believe it.

"I see." A pause. "Then you might want to change shirts, cause that one shows that you're lying."

Isabel's head snapped down, her eyes scanning her stomach. The shirt had ridden up when she crossed her arms. Silver shone on her skin like some kind of otherworldly beacon. Might as well stick a big green neon sign over her head. "Touched by an alien".

"Kyle" she started.

"What happened Isabel?" he asked. "I don't want to hear the story you've been telling everyone else. I want to know the truth."

With careful footsteps, she moved to the bed and eased down. Hugging herself tightly, she looked him in the eye. "Swear to me you won't tell anyone. You have to promise me Kyle."

Kyle looked at her, his blue eyes searching her face. Something had happened to her and it terrified her. He could see that. But something also had brought out a protectiveness in her that was rarely seen. Reaching out, he took one of her hands in his and held it tightly.

"I swear," he told her solemnly. "What happened?"

She tried to laugh, but it came out as a sob instead. "I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, we were there. And I was daydreaming. Then I heard Maria. I looked up and saw them arguing. Then I heard the sound. The gun went off. It felt like I was one fire, like there was a hole burning in my side. I touched it and realized I was bleeding. Then I started blacking out. It was like looking through this tunnel, only the end was so far away." Her voice had gotten small, making her sound like a little girl. "And then he was there. He touched me. The fire was gone then and it was like I could feel my tissues move. Like I could feel my body repairing the damage. He healed me, then he asked me to lie. He told me to tell everyone it was ketchup." Isabel looked at her brother. "I - I went to his house after I got cleaned up. After I got Maria to go home. And I told him I needed to know what he did to me." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "He told me that he was able to heal me because because he was an alien."

He reached out and pulled her to him. Seeing her cry was too much. Kyle hugged her close. "I see," he said, unable to keep the skepticism out of his voice. "And you believed him?"

"Not at first," she admitted. "But then he said he'd prove it to me. Then he picked up one of those stupid little alien figurines that Maria's mom makes, and he melted it. I watched it just turn into a puddle of metal and paint. He melted it in my hand Kyle. He told me that it was kind of how he healed me, how he dissolved the bullet that was in me." Her hands clutched his shirt and he could feel her trembling. "He touched me and kept me from dying Kyle. I saw the look on his face. He knew I was dying. But he didn't let it happen." She pulled away to look at him. "If they find out, they'll kill him."

Kyle smoothed her hair back thoughtfully. "Probably," he had to agree. "I doubt anyone would just pass it off, even if this is Roswell." Kissing her forehead gently, he released her. He wasn't sure he believed din aliens, but obviously Alex could be in danger if anyone knew what he had done. "Ok Is. He saved your life. I owe him one. Or maybe a million. His secret is safe with me."

Isabel hugged him tightly, then rose from the bed. "Thanks," she whispered softly as she made her way to the door. Turning, she looked at Kyle again. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him. Especially if it was my fault."

Nodding, Kyle tried to smile. "Nothing will happen to him. We'll make sure of it, ok?"

"Alright," she said.

Without another word, she turned and went to her room.

*******

"How could you let him do this?" she screeched, making Michael more irritable than he already was.

"I didn't let him do anything," he retorted. "I tried to stop him and he wouldn't listen. It would have been worse if we had made a scene. As it was, they were distracted. People worrying about Isabel and some trying to figure out who the guys had been. You think if I had started yelling 'Don't let them know you're an alien' it would have helped the situation?"

"It's bad enough he healed her Michael, but you let him tell her! You think she'll keep her mouth shut about us?" she demanded hotly, his previous sarcasm lost entirely on her. "You think that little Miss 'I'm so great' is going to keep her mouth shut? She's going to be the death of us!"

Michael watched her. She was frantic, terrified that _they_ would be coming for her. Not that any of them knew who _they_ were, but they knew there was a _them_. Reaching out, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly. He was scared too.

"Shh Tessa," he whispered, using the name he had given her when they were kids. "It's ok. No one is going to hurt us. Alex saved her, but I think she'll keep it a secret."

"You really do?" Tess asked, pulling back to look at him. Tears had made tracks down her cheeks. "Why?"

He didn't really have a solid answer for that, so he just shrugged. "Call it alien instinct."

*******

Alex watched her from across the quad. Normally she would be laughing, chatting with friends and making jokes about the people walking by. Being the Princess. Today she was sitting alone. Her lunch was in front of her, but it didn't look like she had touched it yet. Instead she seemed busy looking at her hands. Not that they weren't beautiful hands he admitted, but there seemed to be no reason for her to be staring at them so intently.

With a sigh, Alex shoved his hands through his hair and debated. Should he go over and see if there was something he could do, or would that freak her out even more? Shifting his backpack to the other shoulder, he stepped forward then stopped. Maybe she was better off if he would just leave her alone. Not get anywhere near her. Which wouldn't be hard since they didn't exactly move in the same circles. Ok, maybe it would be hard. Or at least he knew it would if he kept listening to the little voice inside of his head that wanted to hold her close and tell her everything would be ok. Like anything would ever be okay for her again. Swearing softly, he felt the urge to kick something. Then he looked at her again.

Isabel felt his eyes on her. Had felt them since she knew he had stepped into the grass of the quad. She waited for him to come over, to say something, anything. She owed him an apology. Two actually. Once for freaking and one for telling Kyle. She was hoping he would understand both, but she couldn't be sure. Finally gaining the courage to look up, her eyes found him. As soon as he looked at her again, she gave a small wave.

Shifting as he made his way over to her, she tried not to be scared. It was just Alex. The same Alex that had made a million jokes during history in order to keep Mr. Anderson's monotone voice from putting everyone to sleep. The same Alex that had kept the varsity football players from picking on Maria back when they were freshman. The same Alex that had helped her pick up groceries the day she had gone to the store for her mother and the bag broke. He was still that guy she reminded herself as he eased himself into the grass.

"Hey," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Isabel smiled slightly and looked at him. "Better I guess. Still shaky, you know?"

"Understandable," he replied as he pulled his lunch out. "Mind if I eat here too?"

"Feel free," she replied. Watching him a moment, she finally took a deep breath. "Alex" He looked up at her suddenly making her feel like she was the only person that existed in the world. Like the universe moved around her instead of the sun. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I mean for freaking on you yesterday. You saved my life" Her words trailed off. She wasn't sure that sorry was good enough. "You saved me, and I won't forget that."

"No problem," Alex told her and looked back down at his lunch. He could still feel the fear coming from her. She was scared of him. Scared that he might hurt her. Didn't she know he'd never, ever hurt her? That he'd kill himself before he'd do anything that hurt her? Obviously not.

She looked around, aware of the eyes of some of her friends on her. People like her didn't sit with people like Alex. They were in two different groups. Swallowing hard, she tried to shut the stares out. Those people would never understand. Could never understand. They hadn't been the ones that had touched her when she lay there dying.

"Alex?"

He looked up again and smiled slightly. "Yeah?"

"I - I have to tell you something else." Her stomach was lodged in her throat and suddenly she wished she could take back everything she had said to her brother. While she knew he would never tell, she knew it would hurt Alex and that was something she wanted very badly not to do.

The tone of her voice worried him, made his suddenly wary of the people moving around them.

"Go ahead," He urged, trying to keep his voice calm even though his head was screaming at him to run, to get out of Roswell now.

"L - Last night I went home. And things were still very fresh to me." She couldn't meet his eyes. "And I tried to make it to my room before he could ask me anything. I mean, I didn't want to have to explain to him." A frown. "I don't usually lie to my brother" A quick glance at him. "But he saw the mark you left on me."

"Mark?" Alex's mouth instantly felt dry. He had left a mark?

Giving a furtive glance around, Isabel nodded once, then slid her shirt up just enough for him to see the silver print against her skin. He swallowed hard and looked at the ground.

"That mark," he whispered, unable to look at her. Like it would have been any other mark.

"Kyle saw it Alex." Isabel wished fervently that she could take it back. "I had to tell him." 

He felt like all the air had gone out of his lungs. Dizziness clouded his head and he opened his mouth to speak, but somehow couldn't manage to form the words.

"He won't tell," Isabel promised. Reaching out, she took his hand and tugged, making him look at her. "I promise you, he won't tell."

The world was spinning a million miles an hour. Alex scrambled, trying to shove his lunch back in his bag. He had to get out of here. Everything was already falling apart. He was going to have to forget his dreams of a nice home with Isabel Evans and get the hell out of Dodge. Pulling his hand from hers, he started to rise, only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

"You saved my sister Whitman," Kyle told him quietly. "Whatever you need, any time, it's yours."

Alex looked up at the other boy, still half standing. Kyle's aura was calm. The cherry red color steady without any sign of deceit. With a nod, Alex lowered himself back to the ground.

"Just glad I was there," he managed finally. "Anything to see her in another cupcake dress."

Kyle grinned. "Good luck man, she hated that dress." Clapping Alex on the shoulder once more, Kyle moved past them.

"I will never, ever wear another dress like that as long as I live!" Isabel protested with a laugh. The laughter died on her lips and she stared at him. "How did you know about the dress Alex? I didn't know you until the third grade, I had that dress in first." Rising to her feet quickly, she fought the panic. "Oh god, you can read my mind can't you?" All the shallow little thoughts and

Before he could explain, she bolted, leaving him sitting in the grass with two lunches.

*******

He had spent the past few hours cursing himself. He didn't need Michael and Tess to do it for him, he was doing just fine with it on his own. Tess hadn't managed to over come her anger enough to speak to him yet. Michael just gave him that look. It was a look that even parents couldn't give.

Not to mention he was still struggling with the fact that Kyle Evans knew about him too. The other boy seemed sincere about keeping the secret, but Alex knew all too well how easily everything could spin out of control. He had tried to blow it off earlier, but after seeing Isabel's reaction, he knew it was all falling apart. The only thing left to do was pack. Not that any of them knew where they were going, but anywhere was better than a place that suddenly knew about them.

Shoving his way through the people, he bypassed his locker and made his way outside. Homework didn't matter if he was planning on leaving tonight. As fast as was possible, he made his way through the kids to his car. He half expected Tess and Michael to be waiting on him, but also expected them to still be mad enough not to be. Approaching his car, he spotted the note on the windshield. Pulling it from under the wiper blade he opened it.

_Are you thinking what I'm thinking? _It read. Tess' handwriting. Apparently she was ready to bolt too. Couldn't blame her he decided.

Unlocking the door, he started to slide in only to be stopped by someone clearing their throat. Looking up, he spotted Sheriff Parker standing in front of his car.

"Mind if I have a word with you?" he asked casually.

"Uh, sure," Alex replied. His heart had fallen to his feet and he wondered if he was about to be taken away now. Sliding back out of the car, he tried to look the Sheriff in the eye.

"Were you at the Crashdown yesterday around four?" Sheriff Parker watched him, his face neutral behind the mirrored sunglasses.

"Crashdown? We -" Alex stopped. He couldn't let the Sheriff know Michael had been there too. "I was there yesterday afternoon, yeah. But I really don't know what time. After school, but I had to be home for dinner."

"I see." Sheriff Parker slid off the sunglasses and studied him carefully. "Were you there when Isabel Evans was shot?"

"No," Alex lied. "Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

"I had just left. I was getting into my car when I heard the shots. I didn't think twice," Alex looked to the ground with embarrassment, "I took off. I didn't even think about calling. I guess I should have."

"No shame in being scared son," Parker offered. "So I guess you didn't see anything then?"

"No," Alex kept his head down. He didn't want to see if the sheriff could tell he was lying. Yeah, it was time to get the hell out of Roswell. "There were the two guys that were kind of arguing while I was there. I heard it was one of them that fired the shot. But most of what I know is from what other people have told me."

"I see." Sunglasses slid back on and the sheriff started to turn. "If you think of anything, let me know."

"I will," Alex assured him. 

Waiting until he left, Alex slid into the car with weak knees. The sheriff had either heard something or knew something. There was no way to know what that something was exactly. Well, unless Hell, one of them would have to try it. Michael. Michael could pull it off better than he could.

*******

"You want me to what?" Michael nearly choked on the soda he had been busy downing. Wiping the liquid from his chin, Michael gawked at his friend.

"I want you to talk to Liz Parker." Alex replied calmly.

"You really have lost your mind haven't you?" Tess demanded. "First you go off and heal Isabel, and now you want us to get near the Sheriff's daughter?!"

"It's the only way to know exactly what it is he knows." Alex tried to explain. "I don't know about you two, but I'm not in a huge hurry to leave here unless we have to."

"I can leave whenever," Michael grumbled. "I'd rather leave than talk to Liz."

"She's not going to eat you Michael." Alex sighed. "Parker knows something. We have to find out what that is. When we know, then we can deal with it."

"I can't believe this is happening." Tess sank down into the chair and dropped her head into her hands. "This isn't happening. This can't be happening." Blue eyes looked at Alex accusingly. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't healed her, then we wouldn't have to worry."

"I'd do it again Tess," Alex told her. "I couldn't very well walk away and let her die."

"Maybe not," Michael snorted, "But somehow I doubt you'd have been in such a hurry if it had been anyone else but Isabel. Sure, you might have slowed the blood flow or something, but you wouldn't have completely healed someone else."

Alex started to disagree only to find out that he couldn't. Well he couldn't if he didn't want to be lying that was. "Fine. Maybe you're right Michael. Maybe I'd have let someone else die. But it wasn't someone else. It was Isabel."

Tess started to speak, but Michael raised his hand to cut her off.

"Fine," he said with resolve. "I'll talk to Liz. If anyone knows what the Sheriff knows, it will be her. Damn girl knows everything." Michael smirked. "Next time heal her then you can take a peek into her head and find out all the test answers."

Shaking his head, Alex shooed Michael out the door with a hand. "Go on. Let us know what you find out."

Neither said anything until Michael was out the door, then, "What are we going to do Alex?"

"I don't know. Maybe we won't have to do anything," he answered hopefully. "Maybe no one really knows anything. If not, then we'll just hang tight. It'll all blow over."

Tess watched him closely. "And if someone does know something?"

"Then we'll deal with it."

"I'm glad you're so sure Alex," Tess whispered. "Because I'm scared."

*******

"Of all the stupid ideas" Michael muttered as he stood in front of Liz Parker's door. This really was the last place he wanted to be right now. If he had his way about it, they'd be in the car, on the way to Siberia or something. He raised his hand to knock, still muttering under his breath.

The door jerked open, sending him stumbling back. Down the steps, backwards, trip over the plant box, and fall, into the grass, on his butt. All with as much grace as a newborn well anything.

"First day on the new feet," he managed as he rose.

Liz grinned. "Ahh, would those be the new, surgically attached kind?"

"Yeah, so you've heard of them?" Brushing himself off, he looked up at her from under lashes to make sure he hadn't made a total idiot out of himself.

She stood there, still grinning. Michael felt his heart skip a beat. She was cute, no doubt about that. Not the drop dead gorgeous that Isabel Evans was, he'd admit, but cute. And smart. Michael always had a thing for the brainy chicks. With a self-conscious shrug, he looked at her. _This wasn't the time_, he tried to remind himself. Besides, he had no time or room to be getting cozy with anyone.

"What brings you by?" She asked as she flopped down onto the step.

"Uh," Michael's mind had suddenly gone blank. "Oh!" A blush. "I was wondering did they catch the guys who shot Isabel? The whole school is buzzing with it." He dropped himself down to the sidewalk, this time descending with more grace and dignity. "There are so many rumors. I just kinda figured I'd come here and get the real story."

"Ahh," Liz nodded. "I seem to be the girl to talk to today then." Michael feared she was offended, then saw her smile.

"Well, you are the Sheriff's daughter after all. And let's face it," Michael offered a slight grin, "You're way more approachable than your dad."

Liz laughed. "Yeah I guess so. Though I don't know much," she admitted. "Dad seems to think that someone healed Isabel."

"Healed her?" He struggled to keep his tone surprised. "What do you mean? I thought she just got ketchup on herself or something."

Raising a shoulder in a slight shrug, Liz looked at him. "That's what she claims I guess. Dad thinks she's covering for something."

Michael raised a brow. "Covering for something? What do you mean."

A snort of laughter. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," he urged, his mind already racing. They were in trouble.

"He thinks an alien healed her." Liz looked away shyly. It was bad enough to know her dad believed such things, but to actually have to admit it was pretty horrible.

"An alien?" Michael tried to gauge her reaction. "Why would he think that?"

"Because he says he can't find the bullet or the hole. And he says a few people touched her. Some guy and that Maria girl."

Judging by her reaction, Michael didn't think she bought it. "Ahh I see. Well," he forced his tone to be light, "I don't know abut some guy, but I'd be willing to bet that Maria Deluca is as close to an alien as you'll get in Roswell. She is kind of spacey."

Liz laughed. "Yeah, she seems a little wacky."

"You think he knows who the guy is?" Michael questioned. Inside he dreaded hearing the answer.

"No, he doesn't seem to. I mean there's always so many people at the Crashdown, you know? And from what I hear it was pretty full. Mostly kids. Everyone he's asked gives a different description." Liz shrugged again. "Most people don't make very good witnesses. They don't tend to remember details well."

"Yeah, I think I read something about that once," Michael replied. "Well, I guess I should go. I'll see you later, ok?"

He rose and started back down the sidewalk.

"Be careful," Liz called after him. "Dad's on a rampage. He'll stop anyone for anything."

Michael grinned over his shoulder. "Thanks for the warning."

*******

He sat on the rock, head titled back. The stars twinkled above him brightly. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment then looked back up to the sky. He really didn't want to leave. His home was here. Well, the only home he'd ever known anyway. Granted, it wasn't his real home, and his parents weren't his real parents, but that didn't matter. It was all he had ever known and all he really wanted to know at this point. Sure, he'd like to know about his planet and stuff, but he had no desire to actually go back. Have contact? Yes. Go back? Without Isabel Evans? No way.

Alex knew Michael and Tess didn't understand that, but there wasn't really any way he could explain it to them. He had managed to find a home. The Whitman's had found him. Tess and Michael weren't so lucky. They had been stuck in foster homes. Lots of them. Since they were found together, social services assumed they were siblings. Neither Michael nor Tess bothered to correct them even though they both knew it wasn't true. Besides, if they said anything the government freaks would want to know how they knew that since they seemed to have no memories before they were found, and neither of them could explain. They just knew. But it worked. It kept them together and that was fine with all of them. Made for less trouble when it was time to move around again.

"Alex?"

His name broke him from his thoughts. Turning, he looked over his shoulder and saw her. The moonlight was so very kind to her, making her blond hair look like it was made with moonbeams. Her skin glowed in the soft light and he had the sudden urge to reach out and touch her. To trail his fingers down her cheek and see if her skin was as soft as it looked.

"Isabel," he breathed. "How'd you end up out here?"

He looked away from her as she answered. "Michael. He told me you were out here. Brooding I think was the word he used."

"I don't brood," Alex grumbled.

"Can I join you?" she asked cautiously, pointing to the empty space next to him on the rock.

A shrug. _No point in actually thinking she's here for anything but information_, he told himself coldly. "Sure, it's a free country. Frazier woods are a part of it."

Isabel frowned slightly. Alex had never exactly gushed over her, but he had always been friendly. She used to catch him watching her during class or during lunch. At the time she thought it was cute. Another boy who had a crush on her. But now he was almost cold. Distant even after the experience they had shared.

_I totally freaked on him. Twice_, she reminded herself. Not exactly the way to a man's heart.

"Alex," she started, not really sure what to say. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I mean after you saved my life, I totally lost it on you. Completely freaked." She looked down, unable to even look at him. Apologizing wasn't really her style, and she'd now apologized to him entirely too many times. And she hadn't really thanked him yet either. "And thank you. For saving me. I know I didn't really say it before, but I mean it." Isabel looked at him. "You're kind of my knight in shining armor now."

That made him smile slightly. "It's ok," he assured her, "We all kind of freaked when we realized what we were."

"All?" Isabel blinked at him. There were more? More aliens?

He winced and silently cursed himself. Until that moment, he had no intentions of telling her about Michael and Tess. And it's not like you could call it intention, it had just slipped out. Talking to her just seemed so easy. Alex suddenly realized there was so much more to Isabel than a pretty face. Not that he hadn't thought that before, but it suddenly hit home for him.

"Michael, and Tess," he confessed after a moment. There was no way he could meet her gaze so he looked skyward once again.

Isabel said nothing, digesting what he had just said. Looking up, she took in all the stars that were shining over head.

"Do you know which one it is?" she asked gently.

"No. We don't even know if we can see it. Maybe our galaxy is far, far away." A slight grin. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

She laughed and reached for his hand. "I suppose you're allowed to make space jokes. Just don't tell me you really look like Jabba the Hut."

Alex shrugged, his mind splitting in half. One half was processing they way her skin felt against his. Soft, smooth, and warm. Very, very warm. Like there was a fire in her when she touched him. The other half was still trying to figure out how to speak.

"I'll tell you that I don't think I do. I mean, this is the only way I've ever looked." He dared a glance at her. "We looked like normal kids when we came out of the pods. But I don't know maybe we just adapted. Maybe we really look like these big green blobs." Alex let out a frustrated sigh. This wasn't going well. "We just don't know."

Squeezing his hand, she looked at him. "Must be scary to not know everything. I mean, there's a lot in life you never know, but to not even know where you came from." Isabel shrugged. Sure, she had it pretty easy in life, but that didn't mean she didn't feel for those who had it much harder. Maria always had it worse than she did and her heart constantly ached for her friend. "Everyone needs a history. It's what makes us who we are."

"I guess when you don't know who you are, then a history isn't important."

Frowning, Isabel looked at him. "I know who you are. You're Alex. You saved my life. You picked Maria for your team in junior high because you knew no one else would. You made the Senior jocks leave me alone when we were Freshman. I remember you taught Tess how to drive after the Driver's Ed teacher threw her out because she wrecked the car." Her hand tightened on his. "You're Alex. One of the nicest people I've ever met." Blushing, she looked away.

Blinking, Alex looked at her in awe. "You remember all of that?" He couldn't even remember all of that. Now that she had brought it up, sure, he could recall it. But if he hadn't had prompting, it never would have entered his mind.

Isabel blushed and looked back up at the stars. "I remember lots of stuff. Most people think I don't see things, don't see them. But I do." She had thought that she hadn't known much about Alex. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she knew more than she gave herself credit for. She knew what kind of person he was. Had known it since the third grade actually. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him again. "You risked a lot when you saved me didn't you?"

He nodded, his eyes locked onto hers. Words tried to come out, but they only seemed to get stuck in the back of his throat.

"Why?" It was the one thing that had hounded her since it happened. Why her?

A faint smile touched his lips. "Shouldn't everyone be throwing themselves in front of busses for the Golden Goddess that is Isabel Evans?" It made her smile, but he could tell she wasn't taking it at face value. Alex shrugged. The answer was so obvious. "I couldn't let you die." Embarrassment colored his cheeks red and he looked away. "I have to have someone I'm sure to humiliate myself in front of, now don't I?"

She didn't know what to say. Isabel, Queen of the comebacks, Ice Princess of the Desert Nation Roswell, was speechless. She swallowed hard, hoping he didn't notice. His words had started something inside of her. It started as a faint glow in her heart and almost instantly expanded to include her whole body. If she suddenly lit up the clearing, she wouldn't have been surprised. Alex had made her feel so very alive. Made her insides tingle. With those words she knew she would never, ever fear him. His hand moved in hers and the touch was electrified. Isabel looked at him in awe and realized she loved him. All the little things she knew about him had finally added up.

Trying to deal with such a huge realization, she struggled for words, struggled to understand everything about him.

"I never stuck around for you to answer my question earlier," she said somewhat sheepishly. "Can you read minds?"

Alex shook his head. "No, I can't read minds. When I connected to you to heal you, I got a rush of images. Just random pictures usually. Sometimes they fly past so fast that you really can't tell what they are." He shrugged slightly. "I saw the cupcake dress. You wore it even though you hated it because your mom made it for you. She was so proud of it and your dad kept telling you how cute you looked in it. So you wore it. Even then you knew that dress would be immortalized in your first grade picture." Alex looked to the ground. It was never comfortable to see things from people during a connection. Usually you never saw anything private, but still. "I saw a stuffed bunny. White."

"Mr. Hops," Isabel smiled. "I got him when I was a baby."

"I saw a picture of you riding your bike. You caught some gravel and fell. Scraped your knee." Gingerly, he reached out to touch the scar. "Your parents were at work and so Mrs. Landis cleaned it and put a band aid on it. Snoopy."

Laughing, Isabel shook her head. "I forgot about that. I made my mom buy Snoopy band-aids after that. Told her we just _had_ to have them." 

Alex smiled at her, enjoying the sound of her laughter. Isabel wasn't the kind of girl that laughed openly, but when she did it was like music.

"I might be able to let you see," he offered. "I've never tried it before, but maybe you can see what it looks like. See it like I saw it." Isabel nodded slowly. "I have to touch you and you have to look at me. Ok?"

She nodded again and looked into his eyes as his hands cupped her cheeks gently.

"Clear your mind," he whispered, "Breathe evenly."

Isabel shoved all thoughts out of her head as best she could. Not that anyone could ever completely clear their mind, but she tried. Taking control of her breathing, she tried to even it out and felt his breathing coming in time with hers.

With almost a clicking sensation, the images started past her. Michael as a child, angry and red faced. Her at school, coming off the bus. Kyle pushed her and she tripped. Tess in grade school, pig tails flapping behind her as she ran towards Michael. Isabel at the Homecoming dance last year. Her blue dress had been perfect. Her again, this time she was sitting in the swings on the playground. She had just gotten into a fight with her parents. They hadn't wanted her to stay out so late. Alex had driven by and she waved at him. On the floor of the Crashdown, blood pooling around her. Maria's face as he looked up just before he ripped her uniform open. More images rushed past her. Many of them were pictures of Michael and Tess, but most of them were of her. Isabel pictures, like a shrine inside his head. An Isabel shrine that saw inside of her. That represented who she was, not as everyone always seemed to see her.

Lightning felt like it struck her as she suddenly understood that he loved her. Had since the first day he saw her. He had carried it around with him for years.

Pulling away, Alex looked at her intently. "Did you see anything?"

Slowly she managed a nod. "I saw," she whispered.

Alex started to ask if she was all right, but stopped as her finger touched his lips. Almost achingly slow, she leaned towards him. Her finger slid from his mouth just heartbeats before her lips touched his.

*******

Cloud nine was such an understatement. It was more like cloud nine hundred. Isabel was floating up there, nearly giddy on the newest information to hit her brain. She loved Alex. And he loved her.

He loved her for all the reasons she had dreamed about. Not because she was pretty or popular. He loved her for who she was. For the person she was inside. It was one of the only times she ever felt like someone had bothered to try to understand her. Like someone saw inside of her. Alex had done that. He saw her as Isabel. Not Isabel the Homecoming Queen. Or Isabel the cheerleader. Or Isabel the most popular girl in school. Just Isabel. The girl he'd loved since he first laid eyes on her.

It was all so new to her. To have someone to love her for her, not something she could provide, or an image they had formed of her in their heads. It was a feeling she never wanted to lose.

Pulling into the driveway, she frowned slightly at the car there. _What was Maria doing here?_ she wondered. 

***

"Maria?" she yelled as she walked through the door. "Are you ok?"

The girl stood up from the couch, her pale blonde curls framing her even paler face. Something was wrong. Rushing to her, Isabel hugged her tightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. It was late, her friend wouldn't be here without a reason.

Maria laughed hollowly. "I could ask you the same thing Isabel," she said quietly. 

Frowning, Isabel stepped back and looked at her friend. "What are you talking about?"

Turning slightly, Maria picked something up from the couch and held it up. A book. It took a moment for Isabel to register what it was exactly. Her diary.

"What are you doing with that?" she demanded. While Maria might be her best friend, reading her diary was totally crossing the line.

Curls moved as Maria shook her head. "I was hearing things. Things about someone healing you that day at the Crashdown. And you've been avoiding me. I came here to see what was going on." She looked away from her friend, unable to face her after invading her privacy so horribly. "You weren't here, so I decided to wait. I was just going to wait in your room, listen to the radio or something." The worry and anger that had pushed her this far was starting to fade. "It was just sitting out. I mean, I knew I shouldn't, but I thought maybe I would understand if I read it."

Maria looked up. "Please tell me you don't believe in aliens Isabel. We all know it's not true." Panic began to seep across her features. "If they think you believe in aliens, they'll come take you away. Or worse, Parker will find out and want you to go in for tests." She reached out and grasped Isabel's hand tightly. "Isabel, you fell and spilled ketchup, remember? That's what you told everyone. That's what you told me"

Isabel looked down at their hands and felt herself falling from her place in the clouds. Speeding for the ground. Careening to the Earth below. She struggled to take a breath, to fight the plummeting sensation that overcame her. Maria had been her friend since before Kindergarten. And while she had always told Maria everything, she suddenly felt like she was the ultimate betrayer. She was going to have to tell the secret one more time. _The last time_, she swore to herself.

Slowly she sat, pulling Maria down with her. "I think you had better sit down."

"Isabel? What happened to you?" Fear crept into her voice.

Looking at her friend, Isabel tried to explain. "I got shot that day Maria. I felt the bullet go into me. I felt my blood coming out. I even felt how the floor felt with my blood all over it." A deep breath. "I remember wondering if I was ever going to see you again. Or mom and dad." A faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "And then he was there. I felt him touch me and suddenly it didn't hurt any more. I couldn't feel my life slipping away." She squeezed her friend's hand. "Alex saved me Maria. He saved my life."

*******

"Huh?"

"I said," Michael repeated with exasperation, "What's the plan oh fearless leader?"

Alex snorted and shook his head. "We have a plan?"

"That's kind of what he was asking," Tess grumbled. "Are we just going to sit here and wait for them to come haul us away?"

Scowling as he ran a hand through his dark hair, Alex sighed. "They aren't coming to get us." This was getting old. He had been in a good mood until he got home and found the two of them waiting for him. "Liz said the sheriff didn't really know anything."

"Sure, he doesn't know anything now, Alexander," Michael smirked, "But that doesn't mean he won't find out. We were there. It's only a matter of time before our names come up."

"_My_ name," Alex corrected. "I didn't tell him you were there. I admitted to being there, but he doesn't know about you."

"Yeah, and?" Tess felt like smacking him upside the head. "We're supposed to feel all safe now?"

"We don't have a reason to panic you know. You guys are overreacting."

"Overreacting!" Michael burst out, rising to his feet so fast it shoved the heavy recliner back a few inches. "You're playing with our lives Alex! I really don't think we can overreact!"

"Look, we'll deal with it ok? Right now he knows nothing. He's not going to figure it out. And if he comes sniffing around any of us, then we'll deal with it! We can't spend all our time running you know. One of these days we might actually have to make a stand." Alex closed his eyes and shook his head. Michael was always ready to run. He didn't understand what it meant to have roots, even if they weren't his real roots. What it meant to belong somewhere.

"I don't believe this," Tess hissed. "You only want to stay because of her! Well, when they are hauling us away, I hope the thought of her keeps you warm in your little cell."

"Shut up." Alex glared at the two of them. "If you keep acting like you have something to hide, then they'll think you had something to do with it. If you act normal, then they'll leave us alone." Suddenly he felt very, very tired. "It's worked for us for the last ten years hasn't it?"

"You'd better hope you're right Alex," Michael spat out, "Because if you're not, we're all dead."

*******

"Alien?" Maria squeaked.

"Alien," Isabel confirmed. "Think about it Maria the bullet was in me. Then he touched me and it dissolved. And then he healed me. He put back the tissues and cells the way they were supposed to be." She knew Maria was struggling with it, she had done the same thing. But now it was important for her friend to understand. For Maria to know exactly what the stakes were. "He saved my life. He risked everything coming out to save me Maria."

Blue eyes blinked. Shoving blonde curls from her face, Maria tried to absorb it all.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Kyle. I didn't want to tell him, but when Alex healed me, it left a mark on me." Isabel lifted her shirt, shoving the faded silver handprint. In another day it would be gone completely. Just the outline glimmered in the dim light. "I would have told you, but it wasn't really my place to tell" She dropped her shirt and smoothed it down. "The more people who know, the more danger he's in."

Maria turned it over in her head, looking at it from all the angles. She suddenly felt the need for some cedar oil, or maybe some eucalyptus. Something soothing, calming. Right now she wasn't sure what would work, her mind had just shut down.

"You can't tell," Isabel pushed. "If anyone else finds out, they might come for him." She reached out and forced Maria to look her in the eye. "They might kill him."

"He saved you?" The question was hesitant.

"He saved me."

With a nod Maria looked her friend in the eye. "Then we can't let anyone else know."

*******

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, sending jolts of electricity through her. It made her remember why the looks her "friends" were giving her suddenly didn't matter. She leaned back against the locker and smiled up at him. It felt so good having him this close. Feeling him against her. In the back of her mind she knew she had to tell him about Maria, but she didn't want to ruin the moment.

Liz walked by, giving Alex the once over. Isabel couldn't help but smile to herself. Maybe her crowd didn't appreciate his looks, but it was obvious that other people did. 

"Why is it I never noticed how good you look in red?" she asked with a grin as she reached up to unbutton the top button of his shirt.

Catching her hand as she released his shirt, he smiled. "I don't know. Your Golden Goddess glow clouded your vision?"

Isabel laughed and swatted his shoulder with her free hand. "Hmm, maybe that's it."

The bell rang, forcing them apart. Giving a glance around, Isabel smiled at him and took a shaky breath.

"I need to talk to you after school ok? Seriously"

Alex frowned slightly and grasped her shoulder. "You ok?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, it's no big deal. Just something I think you should know." She touched his hand and offered another smile. "Get to class. You'll get detention if you're late again."

"I'm going, I'm going," he caved. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he spun and rushed to class.

*******

A) 1892   
B) 1992  
C) 1872  
D) None of the Above. 

The answers swam in front of her eyes and she nearly threw her pencil across the room in frustration. Her life was falling apart and she had to sit her and take this stupid test, pretending the world wasn't crumbling around her.

Tess let out a sigh of irritation. Damn Alex and all his noble intentions. He might as well have signed their death warrant. Ignoring the glares from the other students around her, she snapped her pencil down to her desk and just scowled. She heard Liz clear her throat to her right, but didn't need to look. Ms. Valedictorian was mad because her concentration was being broken. _Well too damn bad_, Tess thought. _I might not be around for graduation._

Someone else made a sound of annoyance causing Tess to turn in her seat. Scathing words leapt to her lips only to be cut off by the classroom door opening.

Principal Foster stepped into the room and looked directly at Isabel.

"Isabel Evans?" Isabel looked up, blinking slightly. "Can you please come with me?"

Isabel looked around sheepishly. Never having been called to the principal's office before, she didn't know how to react. Rising slowly, she stood at her desk a moment, unsure of what to do exactly.

"Just bring your test here," Mrs. Louis offered finally. "I'll talk to you later about making it up."

She nodded then grabbed her backpack and her test. Dropping off her test quickly, she followed Principal Foster out the door.

"What's this about?" Isabel asked softly.

"Sheriff Parker wants to ask you a few questions," the Principal told her. "Sorry to drag you out of your test, but he was insistent." The older woman looked at her with concern. "Is everything ok?"

"Ok?" Isabel blinked, ice cold terror running through her veins. Sheriff Parker wanted to talk to her? "Oh, everything's fine as far as I know." She struggled to keep her calm and shrugged nonchalantly. "I really have no idea why he wants to talk to me."

Foster patted her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure it's nothing dear," she told Isabel as she stopped at her office door.

*******

"Ms. Evans." The voice was cold, distant and deliberate.

"Sheriff Parker," Isabel replied as she sank down into a chair as her knees began to turn to jelly. Trying to rein in her terror, she offered a smile. Fear sat in the pit of her stomach like a chunk of ice. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Carefully he pulled out a manila folder. Glancing at her once, he then turned his attention back to the folder in his hand. Opening it slowly, he thumbed through the contents before looking at her again. "I thought you might be able to shed some light on something Ms. Evans."

"I can try," she offered, trying to make it sound sincere. She wasn't sure if it had come across as honest or as panicked. If she had to bet, she'd probably pick the latter.

One by one he laid out each of the pictures the folder held. Isabel blinked, her mind not quite registering what she was seeing. But the icy feeling in her stomach began to spread through her body. The images blurred into one, turning into a giant fuzzy mess. Then her mind finally registered the individual rectangles.

Autopsy photos. It suddenly hit her and she gasped. Looking up in surprise at the sheriff, she let the confusion show. This was not what she expected.

"What are these for?"

"I apologize for having to show you these," he drawled. Isabel couldn't help but feel the dishonesty to his words. "I know they are a little graphic. But I need to know if you can identify that mark."

Looking back down at the pictures, Isabel finally realized that all of the bodies she was looking at had the same silver handprint on them. They didn't look the right size, or quite the right shape, to be Alex, but she couldn't pretend she didn't see them. Life would be easier if she could.

"Should I?" she questioned finally, feeling the ice spread out into her limbs. Her hand began to tingle with the chill, like a person who has stayed outside too long in the snow.

"I thought you might," he told her evenly. Parker met her gaze, then bent down to pick something up off the floor. A brown paper bag. Isabel sat up straighter and didn't look away. Very intentionally he drew out the garment and placed it on the desk over the photos.

Isabel swallowed hard. That was her uniform. The one with the bullet hole in it. The one covered in her blood. Letting the ice that was flowing through her snap her into Ice Princess mode, she glared at Parker.

"Why would you have that thing?" she demanded. "Mr. Iberg gave us all new uniforms after the shooting. He thought it was bad for business to have something around that might remind people."

"Is this yours?"

"Don't know," she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, managing an irritated look. "It could be anyone's. Most of us wear the same size." Taking note of the fact the uniform was covered in several other things besides ketchup and blood from having been in the dumpster for a few days, Isabel let a note of confidence trickle into her. "Besides, it's obvious that thing's been in the trash. There's no telling what might be on it. Food, blood, rotten anything." Ice began to dissolve in her system. "Why would you be dragging that thing out? It's disgusting and it smells."

"You're right," Parker said coolly as he slid the uniform off the desk and back into the bag. "There's no telling what you might find on it." He smiled at her then gathered the photos. "You're free to go."

Isabel smiled back but felt the ice form in her tissues again. His smile had cut away any confidence that might be building. With a slight nod, she rose from her seat, grabbed her bag, then went straight out the door.

*******

Sliding in behind her and taking hold of the back of her arm, Alex guided her away from the people streaming through the hallway. Isabel jumped then glanced back to offer a small smile at him. Guiding her out the door, he didn't let go until they stood in the parking lot. Students milled about, but none close enough to hear their words.

"What did Parker want with you?" he demanded. Tension hummed through his body.

"How'd you know?" Isabel asked, swallowing hard. It was all going to hit the fan right here.

"Tess told me. Said you got pulled out of your history test."

Isabel hugged herself tightly. "I don't think we should do this here Alex."

"Why not?" He felt like the sky was closing in on him. Suffocating him.

"Because if Parker comes to question me then suddenly I run to you after he thinks some guy healed me, don't you think that would give him more of a reason to look at you?" Isabel reasoned. Anything to just keep her world as normal as possible for another few hours. Anything to keep from telling him that she told Maria. Reaching for his hand, she took it in hers and offered a smile. "Come on," she said, tugging him back towards the building. "We're supposed to meet everyone in the quad for lunch."

"All right." Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was hard to be left in suspense, especially these last few days, but she had a valid point. Squeezing her hand, he offered a smile. "Sorry for freaking on you." A quick kiss. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd be busy freaking," she grinned as she led him through the halls. Shoving the door open that led outside to the quad, she pulled him through and continued until she reached what was now their spot. Of course he had only just sat there with her yesterday, but it was theirs nonetheless. Dropping down into the grass, she gently jerked his hand until he fell down beside her.

"Well, you're probably right," he said finally, "I'd be busy freaking. But at least I'd have remembered my lunch." Alex grinned and rose again. "Would you like me to bring yours as well?"

"I can go with you if you want -" Isabel started to be cut off by his hand rising into the air, palm out.

"I'll get it. Is it in your locker?"

"Yeah, top part."

Kneeling, he kissed her, then grinned. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that."

Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him to her and kissed him again. "You'd better not."

"Not in this lifetime," he said as he headed for the lockers and their lunches.

Isabel closed her eyes and smiled, letting the feeling of his mouth flow down her body leaving a trail of tingles. One simple kiss could do that to her.

"You look awful happy," a voice said.

Isabel cracked open an eye in time to see Maria plop down in the grass across from her. "Yeah, he kinda has that effect on me I guess."

"No comments from the peanut gallery?" Maria asked, waving a hand in the general direction of the "we're better than everyone" corner of the quad.

"Nothing directly to me, at least not yet," Isabel said, brushing hair back behind her shoulder. "None of them have the guts to say anything. Not when I can reduce their social standing to mere rubble in a matter of heartbeats." She grinned and reached for one of her friend's carrot sticks. "Being the most popular girl in school _does_ have advantages sometimes."

Maria wrinkled her nose slightly and looked at her friend. "Yeah, but will you still hold that place once everyone knows that you and Alex" She let it trail off and shrugged instead.

Casting a look over to the corner she would normally be sitting in herself, Isabel wondered for a second why she bothered. Why did she try to hard to be the person everyone else wanted her to be? Maybe because up until a few days ago, she never really knew someone could love her just for her.

"Granted, he's not typical Isabel material," she said with a slight smile, "But as reigning Princess, I have the right to date anyone I damn well please."

"Ahh, so we're up to the dating word eh?" Maria giggled. "Anything else I should know about this relationship?"

Isabel leaned forward and gave a wicked grin. From the corner of her eye, she could see her normal group watching. She wondered if they were close enough to hear her next words. "Well, it's not every guy that will go get your lunch for it because you've forgotten it. Of course the reason you forgot it was because he had just kissed you. Even simple, quick kisses from him tend to make your world shrink until it's just the two of you. With maybe some ground shaking and star seeing." Isabel saw Stacey Scheinin's mouth nearly drop to the ground. Yup, close enough. Well, close enough when you were making sure you talked loud enough your voice carried. "Of course the fact he worships you like the Goddess you are doesn't hurt his standing any," she finished airily.

Doug Baker nearly choked on his soda. Stacey started whacking his back, but never took her eyes off Isabel.

"Ahh, the Goddess thing does tend to help a man's standing doesn't it?" Maria asked innocently, batting her eyes like a pro. Isabel knew she was dying inside, trying not to laugh. While not one to start something, Maria never passed up an opportunity to watch that group get what they deserved.

"Of course," Isabel replied nonchalantly. "But very few guys know how to worship properly. Let's just say that Alex knows _exactly_ how to worship me."

"Ladies," Alex said before sitting down next to Isabel, two lunches in hand. "I'd ask what you were talking about, but judging by the blush on Maria's face and the fact that Stacey looks like she swallowed a lemon, I'll take a guess and say I don't want to know."

Isabel took her lunch as he handed it to her and bestowed a patent "Goddess Isabel" smile at him. Leaning towards him she tilted her head just slightly. "Just explaining how the right kiss can make your world disappear," she explained. "Care to help me demonstrate?"

"Only if Maria will tell me they're watching," he said with a smirk. "I'd hate to waste such a good show on just faculty and underclassmen."

"Oh they're definitely watching!" Maria giggled, then took a big bite of her sandwich. This was just too good. Granted, she didn't live to make Stacey and her group squirm the same way Isabel did, but she wouldn't have missed this show for anything!

Alex dropped the brown bag to the grass and slid one hand into Isabel's hair and wrapped his other around her waist. Urging her closer, he nipped her lips lightly, then kissed her ever so gently. Sliding his hand up her back, then down again, he pulled her mouth to his and slid his tongue between her lips. Kissing her deeply, he let his hand slip under her shirt to the bare skin of her back. Tracing patterns on the warm flesh, he licked her lower lip. Kissing her lightly one more time, he pulled away and smiled innocently at her. "How was that?" he asked, still tracing lines along her skin.

"_I_ felt that," Maria muttered, "And I'm way over here."

"How was what?" Isabel asked vaguely, then blinked and blushed. "Oh yeah, back to Earth, right."

Alex laughed and dropped his hand from her back. Suddenly her world felt cold and Isabel wished he'd touch her again. She scooted closer and snatched his lunch from the ground.

"Anything interesting in here?" she asked as she pulled the top of the bag open.

"Probably not," he said as she started pulling things out. "Peanut butter and jelly yes that's wheat bread," he admitted as she pulled his sandwich from the bag. "Chips, plain. Though I like to spice them up with my special sauce. That would be my special sauce," he gestured as she drug a small Tupperware container from the bag. "Nothing left but cupcakes and grape soda."

"Grape soda?" Maria squealed. "Ewwww, do you have any idea the kinds of things they put in that stuff?"

"Nope," Alex grinned. "But I can tell you it's not enough. I always have to remix it myself." He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd that had previously been their audience, making sure they had already drifted off in order to discuss what they had just seen. Whipping out a small plastic bottle from his pocket he held it up so they could see the cloudy liquid inside.

"What's that?" Maria asked curiously. Alex opened the bottle and she pressed her hand over her nose. "Oh god! I can smell that stuff over here!"

"Wow," Isabel agreed, "That stuff will clear up the sinuses."

"Jalapeno juice ladies," Alex told them after he took a drink from the can in order to make room. "is essential to every grape soda."

"Oh that's just sick," Maria told him, reaching for another carrot stick. "How can you actually drink that?!" She nibbled a carrot end, then looked at him. "Is it because your taste buds are maybe different, because you're you know different?"

Alex blinked, his hand slowly lowering the soda can to the ground. He looked between Isabel and Maria once. "You told her," he whispered. It felt like he had fallen and the wind had been shoved out of his lungs. Make that fallen onto something dull and pointed because he felt it in the pit of his stomach too.

"Alex" Isabel started, letting it trail off as soon as she got a good look at his face. He looked green, like he might puke at any minute. And he didn't seem to be breathing.

"You should probably breathe," Maria told him quietly. "Most people do that you know."

Isabel tossed Maria a glare. That certainly wasn't going to help the situation any. Yeah, she was going to tell him. In her own way. Never mind the fact she wasn't sure exactly what that way was just yet, but at least he would have had a slight chance to recover gracefully.

"Alex, I -" She tried again only to find the words wouldn't come.

Maria jumped in to help. "I made her tell me." She reached out, placing her hand on Alex's leg. "I mean, I was hearing things, and so I went over to talk to her. And her diary was sitting out and I -"

"Diary?!" Alex burst out. He couldn't believe this. Maybe he had been completely wrong about Isabel. His secret was spreading like wild fire. "You wrote it all down?!" Now he felt like he had been punched in the gut. Repeatedly.

"Sort of," Isabel admitted meekly. She knew he wouldn't be happy, but she didn't think he'd be so hurt. He looked like she had kicked him across the room.

"Sort of? How can it be sort of?" he demanded. "You either did or you didn't!"

"But there is a sort of!" Maria protested. "She wrote stuff down. And she talked about someone saving her. And she talked about seeing things from this person. But she never mentioned your name." She looked at him sincerely. "I was there, I saw you touch her. I knew you did something to her that day, but I didn't know what." Maria added a little more weight to the hand sitting on his leg. "She didn't write it down in a way that anyone besides me, her best friend since before we were out of diapers, could ever figure out."

Alex looked down at Maria's hand, then up into her face. "How'd you know then? How did you know what I am?"

"Rumors floating around about what the sheriff thinks. I didn't know. Not really. I was trying to get her to tell me she didn't really believe in aliens." Blushing, she looked away. "I guess I never even thought they could exist."

"Neither did I," Alex confessed after a long moment. "It took us a while to figure it out."

Maria looked back up at him and blinked. "Us?"

Alex looked sidelong at Isabel. If Isabel trusted Maria with their secret, then he had to trust her judgement was sound. Besides, now that Maria knew, he had to tell the others and he thought that maybe they should all get together. And if they got together, then Maria would know anyway, might as well prepare her for it.

"Michael and Tess are too."

Nodding slowly, Maria shoved curls away from her face, then straightened, removing her hand from Alex's leg.

Isabel smiled as Maria answered. "Then I guess we have to do whatever it takes to keep them safe too huh?"

*******

He told himself to remain calm. Cool and collected. He snorted and flopped down onto the couch. Sure, if Isabel were just coming over for a nice visit, he'd be nervous enough. But she was coming over to tell him what happened when Sheriff Parker had pulled her out of class.

Alex groaned and dropped his head into his hands. This wasn't going to be fun. It was going to be awful in fact. Not to mention she couldn't come talk to him directly after school because she had to work. So now he'd had a good six or so hours to come up with all kinds of conversations in his head.

Right now the conversation where Parker tortured Isabel until she told him everything was playing over and over in his head. It was kind of the best case scenario in all of his scenarios. And none of them were getting any better with time.

After what seemed like a million lifetimes, the doorbell rang. Alex sprang up from the couch and rushed to the door, jerking it open as soon as he reached it.

"Hey," Isabel smiled at him.

She smiled at him. Isabel smiled at him. A full on "Isabel the Goddess is very happy to see you" smile. Wow. Alex felt the tension of the evening fading away slowly. If it was bad she couldn't possibly flash that smile at anyone.

"Hey," he replied and held out his hand. Pulling her in smoothly when she took it, he closed the door behind her. Drawing her to him, he kissed her gently, just happy to feel her in his arms.

"How as work?" he asked once they broke apart.

"Boring," she answered as she followed him into the living room. "Parents?"

"Gone. They have some big case coming up so they're still at the office."

Isabel sank down to the couch cushions and kicked off her shoes. Her feet always ached after working. All the walking and carry heavy objects killed her. Starting to curse her parents again for forcing her to get a job, she caught herself and stopped. If she hadn't gotten that job, then she never would have found out about Alex.

"They gone a lot?" With a slight jolt she realized she didn't know much about Alex's family or his home life.

"Just sometimes. Usually only when they have a big case to work on. They say they concentrate better at the office than at home. Too many distractions." He grinned. "And they say I play the stereo too loud."

Isabel laughed and nodded. "My parents say that a lot to Kyle." An innocent grin. "I'm the good one."

Alex chuckled and sat down beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned back, forcing her to come with him. When she was settled against his side, he kissed her forehead and finally worked up the nerve to ask her what he needed to know.

"So, what did Parker say to you?" He felt Isabel stiffen against him and wished he could take it back. Wished he didn't have a reason to ask her that question. Wished they were just nice, normal teenagers.

"He told me that he wanted to see if I could help him identify a mark." Isabel looked up at him. "He had these pictures autopsy photos really. And he made me look at them. All of them had the mark on them Alex. Like you left on me." She swallowed. "But I know it wasn't you. The mark wasn't the right size." With a deep breath, she finally let lose something she had filed away before she could spill it at school. "And they had another date on them. 1975. Weren't you guys still in the pods then?"

Alex nodded, his mind reeling with the new information. "Yeah, we didn't break out until 1989."

"Well, I guess you weren't the only survivors then." Isabel tried to smile at him, but knew she had to tell him the rest. "There's something else." Her heart sank to her toes as she said those words.

"What else?" Alex asked, jerking himself from thoughts of another alien. He'd have to take the time to process that later.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled away from him so she could look at him directly. "Parker had something else." A faint laugh. "I knew I should have burned it, but I thought I had taken care of it." Alex frowned. "He had my uniform."

"What?!" Alex exploded off the couch, nearly knocking her to the floor, and instantly began pacing. Parker had proof now. He had proof that something had happened to Isabel.

"It's not as bad as you think," she insisted, reaching for his hand as he paced by her. "He had it, but it had been in the dumpster for a few days at least. It had all kinds of stuff on it. It wasn't exactly fresh."

"But the hole," He insisted, pulling away from her to continue pacing. 

"I'll tell him it must have gotten burned. One of the cooks tossed a cigarette in the dumpster. Jose! He smokes. That would explain the hole." Isabel felt desperation well up inside of her.

Alex jerked to a stop, whirling around to face her. "He can send it to the lab Isabel. They can analyze everything that's on it. And when they do, they'll find the blood. Your blood." With a groan of frustration, Alex made a dash for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He turned into his room as soon as he hit the doorway.

Isabel jumped up and followed, unsure of what to do or say. She had to come up with something. This had been her fault. She hadn't handled it as well as she thought she had. It was because of her that he was in danger. Skidding to a stop as she reached the door of his room, her eyes widened at what she saw.

"What are you doing?" she cried as he drug a duffel bag out from under his bed and started tossing stuff into it.

"Packing," he replied, not stopping to look at her. Closing the space to the closet in two long strides, he grabbed an armful of clothes. Turning, he hit the bed in a few steps and dumped the clothes on top of the bag.

"Where are you going to go?" she demanded.

"Anywhere that won't get me dead," he retorted, finally pausing to look at her. The look of anguish that crossed her face tore at his heart. "Isabel, it's not safe for us anymore."

"It's not safe anywhere Alex!" she insisted. "You can't just run away."

"I can't stay here. I can't endanger the others too."

"Then let's figure out a way to unendanger them."

*******

"I so can't believe this! First it was Isabel and now Maria and Kyle know too? Great. Let's just put up the big neon sign Alexander, 'See real aliens here.' Would that make you happy?" Michael glared at him. He had seen Alex's room last night, he had been packing. And now he wasn't. Michael didn't think he should have stopped.

"Or maybe a 'We're aliens, come get us' sign would be better," Tess muttered under her breath.

Alex sighed and dropped into the closest chair. He had hoped they would see reason, that they would understand all of this had happened out of their control and that they were still safe. But neither of them saw it that way. Instead they thought disappearing was the better idea. Disappearing. That meant leaving everything. His home, his parents. Isabel.

"We're not going anywhere. Running would just give Parker a reason to think it was us. Right now he thinks it's someone else." He didn't add the 'I think' to that last part. No point in causing more trouble.

"So there's another one?" Michael asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"There was in 1975," Alex replied. "But that's all we know. And it looks like the other one might have killed people Michael. I don't think running off to find a killer is a really brilliant idea either."

"Better than waiting for them to come get us and throw us in a lab somewhere." Tess smarted. "I'd rather deal with a killer than be killed."

That was it. Alex had had enough. Moving fast, he shoved himself out of the chair and grabbed Tess by the arms before she could see him coming. "And how do you know he wouldn't kill us? How do you know once he figured out there were more of his kind that he wouldn't just kill us? That he wouldn't want the competition? You don't. So maybe you need to rethink your little plan." Pushing her away from him, Alex let out a sigh of disgust. "I've never seen you two so ready to turn tail and run. What about when Tess put Superintendent Miller's car on top of the school? You guys weren't ready to run then. Or you Michael what about when you melted the lock on Doug's locker? You even did it in front of witnesses. You guys weren't ready to get the hell out of Roswell then. No, you two are perfectly happy to use your powers to amuse yourselves and never give a second thought to the kind of problems that might cause. I save someone's life and suddenly you're thinking twice."

The three of them stared at each other, no one saying a word. The sound of the doorbell broke Alex from the staring match. Turning towards the door, he took a step then looked back over his shoulder.

"That's them. I'd suggest you watch what you say. And be nice. If you think you can manage it."

***

Isabel sat on the couch next to Alex. The tension that filled the room felt as if it were alive, humming across her skin. She looked at Kyle who had sat down in the chair to her right. As close as he could get to her without sitting on the couch next to her. It was enough to tell her he was worried. Maybe not about Alex, but about the other two. Maria sat on the floor at his feet, leaning back against his legs. He had a hand resting on her shoulder and Isabel could tell her friend took comfort in that. Tess and Michael sat in the loveseat directly opposite the couch. Both were busy glaring at her. At this point she was pretty sure they hated her.

Alex held back a sigh. This was going even worse than he imagined, which made it past horrible and somewhere into the territory of dreadful. _Shoot me and put me out of my misery_, he thought. He felt Isabel take his hand and smiled at her. This had all happened because of her, yeah, but he wouldn't change any of it. Not a single second.

"We're all here because we need to throw Parker off. I assume we all feel the same way on this?" Alex started after Isabel gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"How do we know what they feel?" Tess demanded hotly, waving a hand in Kyle and Maria's general direction. She knew better than to indicate Isabel. That would only make Alex even angrier with her.

"We do have names you know," Maria told her. 

Tess started to rise, only to be held down by Michael's hand on her wrist. He shook his head then looked at Alex.

"We don't know anything about them. For all we know they're ready to call the FBI as soon as they leave here."

"No one is calling the FBI," Isabel ground out. "Did you ever stop to think that we know nothing about you either? Huh? That we're trusting that you won't hurt us? That we're risking our necks trying to help your ungrateful skin?"

"That's it," Tess hissed, flying off the love seat. Kyle was up half a heartbeat after she was, moving to stand behind her as Tess stood in front of his sister. "Your lives? Your lives are nothing. You don't have to worry about being taken away and cut up. And experimented on, and worse! No, you live in your nice little house, with your nice little family and you never have to think about those things. Well we do. All the time. We don't need you or your little friends to help us."

Isabel looked at the other girl, the tirade not lost on her but also not enough to scare her. "The fact of the matter is, you do need us. More than you've ever needed anyone in your life. And that gets you. In fact in scares the hell out of you." Her tone was calm, almost bland. "Maybe you can run away and leave everything behind, but some of us have the guts to stand up and not give up the things we want."

"Yeah well, that's all fine and dandy, but no one would be doing any running if Einstein hadn't healed you that day," Michael retorted hotly. He rose from the loveseat and closed the space slowly, standing next to Tess when he stopped. Kyle moved, standing behind the both of them, but close enough to each that he could reach them. "If you'd had the good sense to duck like every other intelligent creature out there, then none of this would have happened."

Isabel stood, standing toe to toe with Michael. Ripping up her shirt, she showed the bare expanse of stomach that once held the silver hand print. "Is that what you wanted Michael? Did you want that bullet to tear into me? To rip apart my insides? To kill me? I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not dead. And you can't take that back now. So maybe you should stop whining long enough to deal with it."

This was getting out of hand. Alex glanced at Maria. Noting the girl was huddled on the floor, terrified, he knew this had to stop. They were accomplishing nothing with this. He started to speak, rising from the couch slowly. No words came as he saw Michael's hand fist and start up. Alex reached for the other boy's hand, but couldn't manage to make it in time. Kyle did.

His hand snaking out, Kyle snatched Michael's wrist in mid air. Jerking to force the other boy around, he shook his head. "I'd suggest that you not raise your hand to my sister." His look was hard and ungiving. "Ever." The grip didn't loosen. "Now, if you want to have a nice conversation, then we can do that. If you want me to kick your ass, we can do that too. But you will not touch my sister. Got that?"

Grabbing Isabel, Alex pressed his hand to the exact spot it had rested only a few days before. With a small burst of light, the handprint reappeared on her stomach. Dropping his hand from her skin he faced his friends.

"You know what? Michael's right. None of this would have started if I hadn't healed her. But you know what else? I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd save her life and give up mine if it meant saving her. If you guys want to run, fine. But I'm not going anywhere."

"What do you mean you're not going anywhere?" Tess cried. "You can't stay here and let them take you!"

"We don't want anyone to go anywhere," Maria said softly as she rose, moving to join the group. "Why can't anyone understand that?" Tears welled up in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Alex tried to clear his mind. Forcing the connection would be difficult, but he didn't think he had a choice. Grabbing Isabel's hand, he felt himself slide into her, merge with her, felt their heartbeats become one. Images rushed past his mind, but he ignored him. Eyes closed, he thrust his free hand out and grabbed Tess' wrist, knowing she'd grab Michael if only by instinct. Kyle's body jerked as the connection flowed from Tess to Michael and into him. Seeing her friends experiencing something that looked painful, Maria reached for Isabel, wanting to pull her away. No sooner did her hand touch her friend's arm than Kyle had a hold of her other hand.

Electricity shot through them all as soon as the circle was complete. Spreading out slightly, none of them broke the connection, but instead shifted so that the circle was more comfortable. Orange swirled around Alex, tendrils of it threading their way through Isabel's purple aura. The colors ran, turning around each other like frolicking butterflies. The smell of almonds and cinnamon suddenly floated throughout the room. Cherry red shot out from Kyle, reaching out for both his sister and Maria. The bright color mixed with the purple and orange of the Alex-Isabel cocktail as it seemed to draw the sparkling blue of Maria's aura out into the group. A small trail of blue streaked across the circle to mix with the churning colors. Slowly the ball of colors moved, settling into the center of the circle. The brilliant yellow of the sun shot out, at first surrounding the ball, but then allowing itself to be taken in by the other colors. Michael's brick red joined last, taking its time as it crossed the space between him and the other colors. Slowly it was taken in by the other colors until the ball was a whirlpool of iridescence. 

As soon as the colors merged, more scents filled the air. The sweet smell of roses drifted in from Maria's direction. The strong, almost overpowering scent of eucalyptus shot out from Michael, dulling as it hit the other smells. The sour smell of lemons followed the yellow trail of color from Tess until it moved around them with the others. Finally the deep scent of sage filled their noses.

Scents whirled around in the colors, surrounding them. Colors mixed, their auras becoming one large mass of color.

Isabel felt the love Alex had for her, felt it surrounding her like a thick blanket. Reveling in the feel, she let her love for Alex surround him. Knowing he felt it too, she let her love for her best friend and her brother leak into the connection, following it with concern for all of them.

Michael could feel the love between them, binding them tighter than any rope could ever hold them. Grudgingly he felt his respect for that slip into the mix. Isabel's concern hit him and he couldn't stop the surprise he felt. She really did worry about them. That was something else he could respect. Slowly he let the feelings of friendship and kinship between he and Alex bleed into the mass surrounding them all.

Maria felt the fear pouring off Tess. Her heart ached for the girl. Never had she ever know that kind of terror. Closing her eyes, she offered an image to the girl. An image of Maria holding out a hand to her. Offering friendship and the kind of protection that only friendship can offer.

Tess felt the colors move around her. Feeling Michael slip away from her, feeling him accept that the humans might really want to help him, she panicked. More than anything else in the world, she just wanted away from here. Away from all of them. Uncaring that anyone might know how scared she really was, Tess tried to pull free only to feel both Michael and Alex tighten their grip on her. Finally an image pushed past the fear. An image of Maria.

Kyle could feel the fear from all of them. They were all scared of being hurt, of being betrayed. Opening himself up, he allowed them to see. Allowed them to understand that he would do anything to protect them. That he would do anything in his power to keep all of them from coming to harm.

Alex felt the tension of the connection leave. Understanding and acceptance flooded in, pushing aside all the bad thoughts and feelings. He felt relief flow through him. Isabel squeezed his hand and he smiled at her, taking note of the way her purple teased his orange.

One by one, their hand slipped away from each other. Colors flickered, fading slowly as the connection disintegrated.

"Wow. Technicolor," Kyle muttered.

"I think I'm dizzy," Maria whimpered and swayed on her feet. 

Kyle lunged for her, reaching her a second after Michael did. Both of them eased her into a chair and knelt on either side of it.

"You ok?" Michael asked, surprising himself by the amount of concern he actually had for the girl. A girl he had never before given a second thought to.

"Yeah." Maria offered a shaky smile. "I guess I'm not used to processing that much at once."

Alex twined his fingers with Isabel's and watched, not ready to break up the scene just yet. All of them had finally realized they weren't a threat to each other. He wanted to bask in that just a little longer. There was no way to know how soon that feeling would be threatened.

Tess watched as they helped Maria into the chair. Staring at the girl, she wondered how anyone who wasn't one of them could possibly want to help. Could possibly want to be friends. Without realizing it, her feet carried her across the floor. With a faint frown, she looked down at Maria, her mind trying to understand all it had seen.

With a bigger smile than she had managed for the boys, Maria held out her hand. "I've never seen a more beautiful shade of yellow in my life. It was like the sun."

Taking the girl's hand, Tess felt the fear melt away.

"Thanks," she managed finally. "I've always liked the smell of roses."

Rising, Kyle looked them over. "If we've all managed to recover from the alien trip here, which is sort of like an acid trip, but not, then I think I have a idea. It might even be a plan."

*******

Maria was shaking with fear. It was that simple. Pushing her way through the doors, she stopped at the front counter and offered a trembling smile.

"I need to talk to Sheriff Parker."

The deputy looked up from his paper work and studied her a minute. She looked upset, but someone had probably stolen her purse and now she was without all her make up and hair spray or something.

"Sorry, but he's busy right now. If you want to leave your name and number -"

"I'll talk to her Deputy." Parker told him as he emerged from his office. Flashing Maria a smile, he moved to the counter and pulled open the swinging door. "Ms. Deluca, if you'll follow me."

Maria looked at him, at the door, then took a step forward. With a deep breath she forced her feet to move through the opening in the counter.

"You mind telling me what this is about?" Parker asked as he led the way to his office.

Maria squeezed her eyes shut for a second, trying to keep the tears from falling. "It's about that day at the Crashdown," she managed finally, her voice shaking as badly as her body. "About what happened to Isabel."

*******

She leaned against him, her back resting solidly against his chest. His arms went around her and she smiled. Everyone gawked at them, but she didn't care. In only a week she had gone from being completely absorbed in what other people thought of her and how that effected her life, to not giving a damn. There were so many other things out there that were just too important. She knew who her friends were. Knew who the people were that would stand by her no matter what. Those were the only people she worried about now.

Isabel felt Alex kiss the top of her head and smiled bigger. If that was possible. Anything bigger and her mouth would split or something.

"I can feel you smiling up there," he whispered in her ear causing shivers to race down her body. "Any particular reason?"

"Mmm, do I have to tell?" she asked pulling his arms around her even tighter.

"Only if you want to stay in that position," Alex teased, moving so she was forced away from him slightly.

Isabel squealed and threw her weight back, forcing him back down. Pinning him between the tree he had been leaning against and her, she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I suppose I should be asking if you still want to stick to that, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll let it slide this time." A slight grin spread across his face. "The reason for my smile," She said archly, traces of the old Isabel in her voice, "Is because I'm happy."

"Ahh," Alex nodded. "Happy. I see. Interesting concept. And the reason for this happiness?"

She shrugged and let her head fall back against his shoulder. It felt so right sitting here like this. So perfect. Lightning could strike her dead here and she'd be happy. Then again, maybe lightning wouldn't effect Alex. Huh. She'd have to consider that later.

"Just everything. You're here. Maria and Kyle know. Tess and Michael don't seem to want to kill them now." A soft sigh. "Everything just seems to be falling together I guess." Another smile. "And I passed my history test."

"Oh I see," Alex grinned, working his hands towards her ticklish spots. "So the real reason for this happiness is your history test." Latching onto her sides and tickling, he held on to her squirming form. With mock seriousness he added, "History is more important than me. I see how it is."

Managing to wiggle away from the torturous hands, Isabel grabbed the wadded up brown paper bag her lunch had previously been in and turned, launching it at him. Giggling as it whacked him squarely in the chest, she made ready to run. His hand snaked out and grabbed her, hauling her close.

"You know some men would make you pay for that," he told her. With a dramatic voice, he offered a deep sigh and said," But I'm not some men, so I guess I'll just put up with the abuse." An overly dramatic sob caused her to grin.

"And what can I do to make it up to you," she asked, suspicious of his answer.

"I don't know," he shook his head, "this is pretty big."

Leaning forward, she kissed the spot the bag hit. "Better?"

"Much." Wrapping his arms around her again, he pulled her back down, letting her snuggle back up against his chest. "I suppose, in celebration of your history victory, we will be forced to get ice cream after school."

"Oooh, do I get chocolate sprinkles too?" she giggled. God she loved the way he made the simple things seem so damn great.

"You can have anything you want," he told her seriously.

"But I've already got that." She smiled up at him. "I've got you don't I?"

*******

Music filled the gym from wall to wall. Vibrations from the songs blasting through the speakers were enough to send the streamers along the ceiling trembling. Michael could feel the beat in the floor. The rapid rhythm made him that much more antsy. He wanted this to be over with. Wanted it back to the way it was before. With a sigh, he glanced to his left. Kyle and Maria stood together, her head resting on his shoulder. To anyone else, it would look casual. But Michael could see the how tense the muscles of her shoulders were. He could also see how tightly Kyle was gripping the back of her jeans. Almost as if he feared she would be swept away from him. Yeah, he decided, everyone wanted this over with.

They had gone over the plan. And over it and over it and They knew the plan. Now, that didn't mean it was a good plan. But it was a plan. Which was better than no plan Michael supposed. Better, but not by much. He still thought they would be better off just taking off and getting the hell out of Roswell. Roswell be damned, he wanted to get out of New Mexico. Go someplace that they would be able to hide in. Some place big. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta anything. He wasn't overly picky. Just someplace where they wouldn't have to worry about blending in because in those places you blended whether you wanted to or not. That's just the way it was. Anonymous. That's how me wanted to feel.

A soft touch on his arm brought him out of his thoughts. Blinking, he looked down at Tess who had appeared front of him.

"You ok?" she asked softly, her hand seeking his.

"It's all good," he lied, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

Blonde curls bounced around her face as she looked towards Maria and Kyle. "Guess it could be worse," she offered. "We could have ended up with people who would have just told." A faint smile touched her face. She was trying.

Michael couldn't argue with that. It's possible that someone else would have just turned them all in as soon as they knew. His eyes shot across the gym until they focused on Liz Parker's dancing form. Would she have turned him in? The thought jolted him and he pushed away from the wall, standing straight, shoving the thought away with the wall.

"Yeah, worse." He sighed and looked back at the girl who had been his sister for as long as he could remember. "Let's just hope this asinine plan actually works."

"It will," Tess spoke with confidence. _It has to_ she almost added, but didn't. She was still trying.

***

She tried to force herself to relax, but nothing she thought of had worked. Cedar oil had failed her for the first time since she had decided aromatherapy worked. Maybe she'd have to rethink it. Isabel kept telling her it was all in her head anyway.

Kyle ran a hand along her back, trying to coax her into relaxing. She smiled and leaned against him more. Kyle had been her older brother since she and Isabel had been friends. Which happened when they were both about three and Maria's kitten got lost. Isabel had helped her search and in the process had forced Kyle to look as well. Since that day, they had been friends. And she had gotten a big brother. But sometimes, times like now, she wondered if he would always be her brother. Or would he ever be anything else?

"Our sister is making an idiot of herself." Kyle said into her ear. He always referred to Isabel as "their" sister. 

Maria's eyes moved across the dance floor until she spotted Isabel and Alex. They were dancing around like maniacs to the beat of the music. Without warning, Alex grabbed her, then dipped her low. Maria could hear Isabel's squeal over the music. When he hauled her up, Isabel laughed and swatted at him. Maria shook her head and looked up at Kyle. Yeah, they were utterly ridiculous. Ridiculous but cute. Not that she'd ever admit it.

"I guess it's better than watching them get all cozy during a slow song."

No sooner did the words leave her mouth then the chords of a mushy ballad wound their way through the packed room.

With a dramatic sigh, Kyle grabbed her hand and drug her towards the dance floor.

"We can at least pretend we're having fun. Besides, in a few songs it will be show time."

***

Watching Kyle and Maria head for the dance floor, Michael shrugged and offered a hand to Tess.

"Is it too strange for someone to be dancing with his sister?"

"Only if you try to grope me," Tess said with a smirk.

Michael spun her out to the floor with a chuckle.

The music seemed to move around them, weaving between the people to wrap the six of them in the threads of music. Before long they found themselves dancing nearly side by side. Without warning, Tess broke away from Michael and grabbed Kyle.

"Switch!" she grinned. Before either Michael or Maria could protest, she wrapped her arms firmly around Kyle's neck. There, let them try to break the alien song hold. Now Michael didn't have a choice but to try.

Maria blinked at Kyle and Tess, then looked sheepishly at Michael. "Well, I guess we don't have a choice."

"I rarely get one," Michael replied as he reached for her hand. Pulling her close, Michael noticed how blue her eyes were. Like the ocean. Winding his arms around her waist, he pulled her close, a faint smile tugging the corners of his mouth as she rested her head against his shoulder. Nope, this wasn't like dancing with Tess. No sister feelings here.

"I guess they won't all laugh at me now for dancing with my sister," Michael managed after a moment.

"Nah, they'll find something else to tease you about. Maybe that hair cut." Maria smarted.

"You remember that," he warned her. "Paybacks are hell."

"Ooooh, I'm so scared," she snickered, never moving her head from his shoulder.

> _It was all that I wanted from you  
It was something you never knew  
To let me in  
But not tonight   
For this is the end  
Tonight  
I fall_

The final notes and words filtered through the crowd and couples began to break apart. The DJ began to talk, the sound of his voice droning on somewhere behind them. Tess stepped away from Kyle, smiling as he offered her a deep bow.

"Thank you for the dance fair lady."

"Fair lady?" Michael demanded, "Where?"

Maria and Tess let out sounds of protest, each smacking a shoulder.

"You know," He continued as he rubbed his shoulders. "Someone should break up Cinderella and Prince Charming over there."

Alex and Isabel continued to dance, lost in their own world.

"You can't hog her!" Maria protested, cutting in on the couple. Swooping in, she locked hands with Isabel and spun her around. "See, you can't just stand there and sway back and forth, you have to give her some moves Romeo!"

Tess laughed, "Don't give him any ideas. You should see him try to dance when he thinks no one is watching."

"Hey!" Alex objected, "I resemble that remark!"

Isabel laughed. "Could've fooled me."

The music started again. The song, while not easily danced too, was fast enough that they could all jump around and pretend to dance. They moved together, enjoying the feeling of friendship that was growing between them.

The words started and Isabel looked at Alex. Though she seemed to try to make it all light, Alex could feel the undercurrent of seriousness to it all. They might be lyrics to some song, but they were words that were now being spoken in a different light.

> _If you could step into my head,  
Tell me would you still know me   
If you woke up in my bed,   
Tell me then would you hold me   
Or would you simply let it lie,   
Leaving me to wonder why   
I can't get you out of this head that I call mine_

She sang the lyrics, her eyes never leaving his. Ah, the words were questions. Perhaps things she might not ask out loud to him. Maybe even questions she didn't know she was asking exactly. With a smile, he sang back to her, the song dividing itself perfectly for what needed to be said.

>   
_And I will say   
Oh no I can't let you go,   
My little girl   
Because you're holding up my world,   
So I need you   
Your imitation of my walk   
And the perfect way you talk   
It's just a couple of the million things   
That I love about you _
> 
> _So I need you _

  
Isabel felt the joy welling inside of her. The song was double edged, but the thoughts had flooded her mind. When he wasn't with her, when he wasn't there to hold her hand, she wondered if it would last. Or would something silly make it all go wrong? Couples dissolved at the drop of a hat in high school, and she wasn't' sure she would be able to survive if that happened. So many questions

> _And if I jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge,   
Tell me would you still follow me   
And if I made you mad today,   
Tell me would you love me tomorrow?   
Or would you say that you don't care,   
And then leave me standing here   
Like the fool who is drowning in despair and screaming_

Alex felt the urge to hug her tightly and tell her that he'd never leave her. That she could never do anything that would make him want to be away from her. Make him wish she wasn't a part of his life. He refrained, letting his smile and the words tell her.

> _Oh no I can't let you go,   
My little girl   
Because you're holding up my world,   
So I need you   
Your imitation of my walk   
And the perfect way you talk   
It's just a couple of the million   
Things that I love about you   
So I need you _

Isabel flung herself at him, the answers she hadn't even know she had wanted were suddenly so clear to her. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him deeply. His hands found their way into her hair, pulling her even closer. He wanted to feel her within him. Feel hear heartbeat in sync with his. Forming a connection would be so easy right now, and the urge was strong.

Kyle's words were a bucket of cold water on them.

"Uh, Principal Foster is heading this way. Somehow I doubt she would be as amused by your little PDA as we are."

With a sheepish look around, Isabel peeled herself away from Alex.

"Right."

Alex slipped his hand into hers. Happiness filled him, but he forced himself to focus.

"It's almost time guys. We should probably get into position."

*******

Maria screeched at the top of her lungs. Running into the gym, she made a beeline for Liz.

"Call your dad!" she screamed, her fit of hysterics sending waves confusion through the crowd that had gathered around her and Liz. "He -- he killed Kyle!"

Liz blinked, then turned and sped away, heading for the pay phone in the hallway. Isabel rushed to Maria, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning the girl around. Panic was on her face, turning it red. Isabel shook her slightly, trying to get her friend to focus.

"Maria, where's Kyle?" Isabel demanded. "What happened to Kyle?"

Her voice rose a few more octaves, carrying out through the crowd.

"He's dead. I think he killed Kyle!"

Isabel shoved Maria away and sped for the door. Hitting the release bar at a run, she fought the small smile that tried to form. Maria's fit of hysterics was so damn good, she was almost convinced her brother was hurt or dead.

***

"I see," Sheriff Parker said, taking note of the way the girl looked around nervously. "And what happened to Isabel Evans at the Crashdown that day?"

Maria swallowed hard and started to speak. Her voice refused to cooperate and she only managed a small sound. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away. Hands clutched her backpack, squeezing and twisting the straps with fear. She took a shuddering breath and tried again.

Her voice was low and hoarse, but finally the words started to come.

"We were just working like always," she told him, still unable to look at him. Tears had begun to roll down her face but she ignored them. "The two guys we told you about were there, arguing. I was starting to get nervous. Maybe I just felt the bad vibes coming off of them. I don't know. I was about to tell Isabel to call Mr. Iberg. To tell him we could have a problem. Then they both stood and the big one started yelling. I jumped back from them and spilled coffee on my shoes." Her faint laugh turned into a sob.

Parker leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. Since the girl obviously knew something and it scared her, he resisted the urge to tell her to get to the point. Instead he chose to be more subtle.

"And then what happened?" he asked gently, letting concern fill his eyes.

Maria let out another sob, her blond curls shaking with it. "Then I saw the gun. It was like it came out of no where. I screamed for Isabel. She was standing at the counter filling the sugar things I think. Maybe ketchup. I remember seeing her look up at me, then the sound of the gun. It felt like it was right next to my ear. I touched it, expecting to feel blood coming from it. Then I looked at the counter. Isabel was lying on the floor and she wasn't moving. I ran to her, thinking maybe she had bumped her head. But when I got there, I saw the blood. She was white as a sheet, even her lips. And she was gasping for air like she couldn't breath. I bent down to do something. I don't know, maybe stop the bleeding." She swallowed again, forcing the words to come out. "I reached for her. I remember thinking that no one could live after losing that much blood." Her voice trailed off as if she were suddenly seeing it again.

Rising, Parker moved around the desk. Slowly he knelt in front of the girl, Deluca, that was her name. Taking one of her hands, he held it gently.

"I know this must be hard for you to talk about," he said, sincerity dripping from every word.

Maria tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it. "I just keep seeing all that blood," she whispered. "I knew she was going to die. She was going to die and I was going to lose my best friend." Her last few words came out as a whimper. 

Parker squeezed her hand again, silently willing her to get on with it. "Something happened. Something that scared you enough to come talk to me. If you tell me what it is, then maybe I can help."

She nodded. "I didn't get close enough to touch her before he was there. He shoved me out of the way hard enough that I landed on the floor. When I got up again, I saw him ripping open the front of her uniform. I almost yelled at him for it, but then he was touching her. He put his hand over the hole in her side, the hole that was gushing blood. He whispered something, but I couldn't hear what it was over the screaming and yelling."

Maria's blue eyes were wide as she looked him in the face. "And then it started to glow. His hand was glowing. I don't know how, I just know that he touched her and his hand started glowing. Isabel jerked once and I thought he was hurting her. I started to tell him to back off, to leave her alone. But then I looked up and saw her face. Suddenly she didn't look like she was dying anymore. She looked like she might actually live. I wanted to kiss him right then. Then the sirens started and he looked up. Isabel tried to get up and he pushed her back down. He grabbed a ketchup bottle and broke it, then poured it all over her."

The girl swallowed hard again and looked away. 

"He told her to tell everyone that she fell and broke the bottle. I don't think he knew I could hear them. The sirens were louder then. When she told him that she would lie, he ran out." Maria shuddered. "I thought he was a God then. I was ready to do anything he asked. I figured he had saved Isabel, so I at least could lie for him. That's why I didn't tell you."

The sheriff nodded, his mind racing. "What did he look like?"

"He was tall, and kind of lanky. With dark hair. It all happened so fast"

"I can imagine."

"I figured it wouldn't matter. That he'd take off once he knew we'd lie for him. And I wasn't going to tell anyone. He saved Isabel"

"But something changed your mind. What was it?"

"He keeps hanging around," she confessed. "At first I thought he was just checking up, you know, to make sure Isabel was ok." Worry replaced the fear, filling her voice. "But he's always around. Things are going good for Isabel now. I mean, she's alive, and she's got a new boyfriend" She clutched his hand with both of hers. "What if he tries to hurt her? What if he had something to do with her getting shot?"

Sheriff Parker patted her hand lightly, his mind working overtime. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

***

Isabel hit the parking lot, her feet slapping hard against the pavement as she ran. Skidding to a stop, she felt others coming behind her. Looking around frantically, she tried to see her brother, tried to tell if he was ok.

"Dad will be here in a minute," Liz said breathlessly, stopping next to Isabel. No sooner had the words left her mouth than the sound of a police siren filled the air.

"Where's Kyle?" Isabel asked, not directing it to anyone specific. Any answer would do as long as it was the right one.

"Over there," Maria pointed over her friend's shoulder.

Rushing in the direction Maria indicated, she nearly stumbled across her brother. Stopping, she knelt down and touched him lightly on the shoulder. His groan made her smile slightly and sent a ripple through the crowd that was pressed close to them. Isabel would have asked them to move back, but they needed all the witnesses they could get.

"Kyle?" she asked, panic coloring her words. A murmur ran through the gathered crowd. "Kyle, what happened?"

"Isabel?" he moaned, trying to rise. The large lump over his right temple and the blood oozing from it shone nicely in the light of the parking lot. "Where is he?"

"Where's who?" she asked, helping him up slowly. Her hands hesitated on his shoulders, unsure of how far he could rise.

"Maybe you shouldn't move him," someone called from the crowd.

Isabel forced him back down. "They're right," she told him. Looking over her shoulder, she directed her attention to the crowd for a moment. "Someone please call an ambulance," she commanded, then looked back to Kyle.

Someone shot off from the back of the crowd, happy to be a part of the excitement. She couldn't tell who it was. As soon as they made it to the building, red and blue lights passed over the parking lot. The siren died as the police cruiser rolled to a stop.

Sheriff Parker managed to close his door before Maria was on him. Her mouth was already moving a million miles a minute.

"I'm sorry," she blubbered, tears running down her face.

"What for?" he asked, confused as to what was going on. Liz's call was jumbled and vague. There had been so much noise in the background that he could hardly hear her. All he really managed to get were the words high school and shot. They were enough.

"I told Kyle. I mean, the guy was hanging around their house last night and I got scared. So I told Kyle to watch for him. Then he showed up here while we were outside getting some air. Kyle went after him." She ran along beside him as he took long strides to where Kyle and Isabel still sat on the pavement. "This is all my fault." The words were wail.

Parker winced slightly at the tone, then offered a reassuring smile. "You did what you thought was best. No one could know how this guy would react. Just calm down."

More sirens cut through the night. Since it was only blocks away, the ambulance was there in less than a minute. Paramedics rushed from the vehicle and ran to Kyle.

"How do you feel son?" one of them questioned as he shone light into Kyle's eyes. The other pressed three fingers to the boy's wrist.

"I have a headache," Kyle muttered, wincing at the light.

"That's not surprising," the other paramedic responded as he pulled his fingers away from Kyle's skin and grabbed a stethoscope. "Anything else hurt?"

"Not really." Kyle offered a weak smile. "I guess all of Maria's shrieking and yelling scared the guy off."

Both paramedics chuckled and continued to look him over. Parker stood behind them, letting them do their job. If he didn't, someone would end up claiming that the boy had some kind of head injury and he was just chasing shadows again. When they were done, he waited expectantly.

"He seems ok aside from the bump on the head. No need to take him in unless he experiences dizziness or blurred vision."

Nodding, Parker knelt next to Kyle, putting on his best concerned look.

"Can you tell me what happened here?"

Kyle tried to nod, but stopped with a wince of pain. He managed not to groan, but it took him a minute to answer.

"We were out here, me and Maria, trying to get some air. It was hot in the gym" Rubbing the lump gingerly with a finger he continued. "Then she told me that the guy who was following Isabel was here. I asked her where and she said she hadn't seen him since we got here. Then he walked around the corner of the shed over there. I don't know if he was hiding in there with the lawnmower or what, but there he was. He looked damn surprised to see us." Dropping his hand, he let out a sound of pain as his hand hit his leg, further jarring his head. "I guess I should have left it alone, you know? But it's my sister."

"Understandable," Parker assured him.

"So I yelled at him to stop. He took off running and I went after him. I tackled him about here and we went down. I got a few hits in, then he swung at me. I don't know if he was holding something or not, but it only took one hit and I was down. Felt like he used a bus to run me over."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

"Yeah. He was tall. Dark hair. Looks kinda like Alex actually."

"Alex?" 

"Alex!" Isabel yelped as Parker tried to place the name. Rising, she rushed to a tall young man and threw herself at him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight.

"Are you ok?" Parker heard him ask her softly. She nodded and he hugged her close.

Alex Whitman. Ah. That must be Isabel's new boyfriend. Parker shook his head. Not the typical Isabel material according the Liz, but it was obvious he cared for her. Maybe a sensible boyfriend would keep her from running wild. Turning his attention back to Kyle, his mind worked over the events.

"Do you know who he was?"

Kyle started to answer but suddenly his attention shifted to something behind the sheriff. "There he is!" he yelled and pointed a finger.

Parker turned in time to see a guy take off across the parking lot. Launching himself up from the pavement, he took off after him, unable to reach the man before he could reach a vehicle.

The old truck turned over on the first try and peeled out of the lot sending bits of gravel out into the gathering crowd. Some people yelled, some ducked, but Parker kept moving.

Alex felt the power grow inside of him, rising up like a giant wave. He could sense Tess behind him, sending her power out as well. From the corner of his eye, he could see tendrils of her aura reaching out for his. Threads of color stretched out from his new friends as well, making the feeling that much stronger. As soon as the truck got around the corner and out of sight, he could feel Michael jump out. The sharp bite of pavement stung his sides as Michael hit the ground. Felt the hit of the curb as his roll came to a stop. The lingering connection they had formed earlier carried the sensations to him.

Parker raced to the corner, not stopping to get his own car. He heard the squeal of tires and increased his speed. The sound of a collision and breaking glass gave him hope. The sudden explosion threw him back, sending him sprawling on the pavement. The taste of blood filled his mouth just as the heat washed over him. Screams issued from the crowd as people started to hit the ground. Alex's hold on Isabel tightened as they went down. Debris fell over them, the force of a second, smaller explosion hurling it for blocks.

"What was that?" several people wondered. Rising slowly, people began to move timidly towards the corner, eager to see what had happened. Parker was on his radio, yelling orders at an unwitting deputy. Flames shot up over the tops of the buildings, bathing the onlookers in a red glow. Smoke curled out among the people, forcing some of the crowd to fall back in search of clearer air.

Arriving at the corner, Alex, Isabel, Maria and Tess watched as the truck burned rapidly, fueled by the rapidly vibrating molecules being teased by the power that was unleashed on them. In a few minutes, nothing would be left but ashes.

Noise rose up all around them as everyone tried to speak. Easing back away from the scene, Tess led the way, followed by her friends. Stopping long enough to retrieve Kyle, Tess offered him a slight smile. 

"We'll fix that lump when we get home," she promised as she looped an arm around his waist and supported him as he made a show of walking.

"Yeah well, why did you have to make it hurt when you made it?" he asked with a smirk, letting the girl support some of his weight.

"More realistic."

Michael formed out of the shadows and joined them. The three touched hands briefly, allowing themselves to pull back the power they had linked up to use. The truck was nothing but a metal frame now. With a few animal bones manipulated to look human tossed into a seat. Thankfully one of the Brown's cows had died at the beginning of the week. Bessie was reborn. Into an alien decoy.

"Very nice," Michael offered as they broke apart. Speaking make his ribs hurt, but he didn't like the eerie sound of chaos created by the explosion

"Thanks," Kyle muttered. "Why couldn't we have beaten up on Maria or something?"

Maria felt the urge to whack him but decided it would look bad if she were beating on the injured one. "Just you remember that," she hissed.

"I doubt you'll let me forget it," Kyle replied.

They reached the doors to the school and stepped inside. Letting go of Kyle, Tess started to speak only to be cut off by a burst of power. They felt to flow around them, touching them, caressing them. The flare was so strong that even the humans felt a twinge of something. Like a slight jolt of electricity.

They frowned at each other as the remnants of power that wasn't theirs prickled over them. Flickered like a dying candle, then faded away.

"What was that?" Tess asked, looking around nervously. The retreating power left a chill against her skin and she rubbed her arms roughly.

"Power," Alex replied, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He reached for Isabel's hand, seeking the warmth she could provide.

No one had an answer, but they all had the same question.

"Whose?" All of them asked simultaneously.

To Be Continued....

Author's Note: While I love getting feedback, **_PLEASE_** be careful waht you say in your reviews. Telling people what happened in the story is the fastest way to ruin it for someone else. Thanks. -- Labrynth


End file.
